Eggs in a Nest

 

Golly, I can't wait to try this retro recipe!  eggs in a nest, how cute is that!

Especially as I gathered some scallop shells from Takapuna Beach last month and had been wondering what kind of nifty little cocktail bites I could use them for.

The thought of piping  a decorative mashed potato border around the edges would never have occurred to me until I saw this recipe on p.242 of the 1976 edition of the Good Housekeeping Family Cookbook. So much healthier than the scallops mornay which were one of my dinner party pieces many moons ago.

Ingredients:



450 grams of potatoes
25 grams of butter
a little milk
salt and pepper
4 eggs
50 grams of cheese (grated)

Boil the potatoes, drain well and mash, add the butter and beat until smooth. Pipe or fork a border of this creamed potato round 4 scallop shells or individual dishes ( or put the potato into a greased oven dish and make 4 hollows in it) Break an egg into each dish (or hollow)  and sprinkle with salt , pepper and grated cheese. Bake in the centre of the oven at 180 degrees C until the eggs are set (about 15 minutes)
 

The seventies as I never knew them.

This morning I found a copy of the Good Housekeeping Family Cookbook ( revised edition 1976) in the Milford Anglican Opshop. It's a riveting read which as it says " forms in itself a complete kitchen library."



 On page 761 was some advice on how to serve coffee:



" With coffee we are back in the domain of the hostess. At formal gatherings it should be served away from the table, in the comfort of the sitting room. And though the "ladies" are no longer obliged to "withdraw ,it's a natural break for them to go upstairs and repair their make-up if they want to. The hostess should ascertain exactly how each guest wants his or her coffee , and hand the filled cups. Then the host can take over the duties of offering liquers, cigarettes or cigars, and the conversation can continue. This formula is equally suitable for less formal occasions, though it depends on personal tastes and circumstances."



Well, that was England in the seventies while we kiwis were running around in jeans and drinking Nescafe from pottery mugs !