1/2 saltspoonful of grated nutmeg

Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs. Put the butter into a
saucepan, add the onions, cut into _very thin_ slices; shake until the
onions are soft, but not brown, then dust over the flour, mix, and add
the milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir carefully until this reaches
boiling point, then stand it on the back part of the stove where it
will keep hot for at least ten minutes. Beat the yolks of the eggs
until very creamy, then stir them into the sauce, take from the fire,
and fold in the well-beaten whites of the eggs. Turn into a baking
dish or casserole and bake in a hot oven fifteen minutes; serve at
once.


TO POACH EGGS

Use a shallow frying pan partly filled with boiling water. The eggs
must be perfectly fresh. The white of an egg is held in a membrane
which seems to lose its tenacity after the egg is three days old. Such
an egg, when dropped into boiling water, spreads out; that is, it does
not retain its shape. When ready to poach eggs, take the required
number to the stove. The water must be boiling hot, but not actually
bubbling. Break an egg into a saucer, slide it quickly into the water,
and then another and another. Pull the pan to the side of the stove,
where the water cannot possibly boil. With a tablespoon, baste the
water over the yolks of the eggs, if they happen to be exposed. They
must be entirely covered with a thin veil of the white. Have ready the
desired quantity of toast on a heated platter, lift each egg with a
slice or skimmer, trim off the ragged edges and slide them at once on
the toast. Dust with salt and pepper, baste with melted butter, and