Washington Omelet (1881)

For someone who grew up dreading quiche night, I am surprisingly smitten with this 1881 recipe that’s an awful lot like…fried quiche.

It’s one of those quick and easy dishes that could equally suit any meal of the day, from breakfast to supper. Some of these nineteenth century recipes are ones I may only make a few times, but this one’s going on the regular weekly meal rotation. Hope you love it too!

Here’s a picture of the recipe as it appears in the cookbook:

Cooking Notes:

This is such an easy dish, notes hardly seem needed on this one. Don’t skimp on that butter, and do have the skillet hot before you put in the egg mixture. That’s really about it!

It does take a patient hand turning the squares of omelet after they’ve been cut, and I hope I’m not the first cook to cheat by removing a few edge sections to make this easier. It worked well to have a little more maneuvering space, then quickly fry up the removed pieces after the rest of the omelet is done.

Also, this is not authentic in any way, so do forgive the anachronistic serving idea...but these heavenly little squares of omelet are sturdy enough to hold up to some wonderful toppings. This recipe is already on my meal plan for dinner one night next week, and I’m dreaming about pairing it with smoked salmon, crème fraîche, and bits of fresh chives.

Just a reminder that if you ever have a particular type of recipe you’d like to see here, just send me an email and I’ll try to find one. I’m always happy to hear from you!

📖 Recipe

Washington Omelet

Practical Housekeeping, 1881

This delicious egg dish works just as well for dinner as it does for breakfast.

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Calories: 180kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Let one tea-cup milk come to a boil,
• pour it over one tea-cup bread-crumbs and let stand a few minutes.
• Break six eggs into a bowl;
  stir (not beat) till well mixed;
• then add the milk and bread; mix;
  season with salt and pepper and pour into a hot skillet, in which a large tablespoon of butter had been melted;
• fry slowly, cut in squares, turn, fry to a delicate brown, and serve at once.
• –Mrs. D. Buxton.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!