1883 Breakfast Menu: Stewed Pears, Breaded Eggs, Green Pea Pancakes

1883 Breakfast Menu
The Cottage Kitchen
Stewed Pears
Breaded Eggs
Green Pea Pancakes

Stewed Pears.
6 Pears
2 tbs molasses
1/2 tsp ginger
If large, cut in half; if small, gouge out the blossom end. Do not peel them. Cover with cold water in a saucepan, and stew until a straw will penetrate them; now put in a tablespoonful of sugar for every three large pears, and for every dozen a half-teaspoonful of ginger. Cover and simmer ten minutes; take up the fruit, pack in a covered bowl and set in hot water, while you boil the syrup for half an hour. Strain over the pears and set aside, closely covered, until next day. You may substitute molasses for sugar, if you like.
Did we eat them? Some of them
Would I make it again? If I did I would use sugar instead of the molasses.

Breaded Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 raw egg, beaten
Bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
Gravy
Boil and slice the eggs as directed in the last receipt. Beat up one raw egg light in a bowl, and have a handful of fine crumbs ready, peppered and salted, in a plate. Dip the egg-slices first in the egg, then in the crumbs, coating them well. Heat some nice dripping in a pan, and fry them to a yellow brown. Take up the instant each is done, and lay in a hot colander. Heat a cup of gravy or soup in a saucepan, well-seasoned and thickened with browned flour. Transfer the eggs to a hot platter, and pour the hot gravy over them.
Did we eat them? Yes
Would I make them again? Probably not.
Notes: These were better than I expected. I didn’t have gravy so I used some leftover onion sauce.

Green Pea Pancakes.
Cooked, mashed peas
2 eggs
1 cupful milk
1/2 tsp soda
Cream of tartar
1/2 cupful flour
Mash the peas while hot, and work in butter, pepper, and salt. (If the peas are cold, heat the butter and pound the peas smooth with a potato-beetle.) Beat in two eggs, a cupful of milk, half a teaspoonful of soda, and twice as much cream of tartar sifted three times through half a cupful of flour. Beat up well, and bake as you would griddle- cakes. If you use prepared flour; omit soda and cream of tartar. Never forget to open the can several hours before cooking the peas. Throw away the liquor, and leave the peas in very cold clean water until you are ready for them. This freshens them to taste as well as sight.
Did we eat them? Yes
Would I make them again? Maybe
Notes: Maybe I should have cooked the peas a bit longer they did not mash as well as I expected or as I imagine canned peas would have. The peas gave the pancakes a unique taste. It seemed more of a savory pancake. I used some leftover onion sauce for the pancakes and the eggs in place of syrup.

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