Huevos Franceses
"French Eggs"
From the treasured pages of Libor de Gisados de Maria Guadalupe Reyes
Written by Maria Guadalupe Reyes
Huevos Franceses
"Ponganse à cocer hasta que se pongan duros, se apartan hasta que se enfrian, se toma un poco de perejil, arto clavo, pimienta, ajos, todo mui remolido y mui refrito hasta que se le quite el sabor del peregil; se toman unas almendras y nueces grandes, esto se frie en manteca que queden doraditas y se muele sin agua, se aparta la masita, y la agua con que enjuaga el metate se le echa el peregil, y con la masita se amazan los huevos, esto es, las yemas duras, se rellenan y se frien, se echan al caldillo y se espesa con pan frito en manteca."
English Translation
"Put them to cook until they are hard, set them aside until they cool, take a little parsley, plenty of cloves, pepper, garlic, all very well ground and well fried until the parsley flavor is gone; take some almonds and large walnuts, fry these in lard until they are golden and grind them without water, set aside the paste, and the water used to rinse the grinding stone is added to the parsley, and with the paste, knead the eggs, that is, the hard yolks, fill and fry them, add them to the broth and thicken with bread fried in lard."
Note on the Original Text
This manuscript recipe follows the conventions of 19th-century Mexican home cookery writing: it is succinct, omits precise quantities, and presumes a deep familiarity with technique—leaving much to the knowledge of the cook. The spelling in the original, with forms like 'ponganse' and 'muz' instead of 'mas,' reflects historical orthographic practices and regional inflections. Notably, the instructions are written in a single flowing paragraph with minimal punctuation and no ingredient list, typical of manuscripts from this period.
Title
Libor de Gisados de Maria Guadalupe Reyes (1828)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Maria Guadalupe Reyes
Era
1828
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A handwritten treasure of 19th-century Mexican cuisine, this delightful manuscript brims with over 300 recipes ranging from festive traditional dishes to indulgent desserts. Explore ancestral flavors, ceremonial dishes like totolmole oaxaqueño, and sweet treats such as pollas borrachas, all artfully captured in Maria Guadalupe Reyes's elegant script.
Kindly made available by
University of Texas at San Antonio
Taken from the 1828 manuscript 'Libor de Gisados y repostería de Maria Guadalupe Reyes,' this recipe sits squarely in the heart of 19th-century Mexican domestic cookery, as recorded by Guadalupe Reyes herself. The collection reflects the blending of Indigenous and European culinary traditions following the colonial period, with both native ingredients and Spanish techniques interwoven seamlessly. 'Guisos'—or stews, and 'repostería,' meaning baking or confectionery—frame a repertoire of recipes that provided everyday sustenance as well as celebratory feasts in Mexican homes of the era. The recipe for 'Huevos Franceses,' or 'French Eggs,' demonstrates the international influences in Mexican kitchens, adapting European flavors and methods to locally available products like fresh herbs, nuts, and eggs.
Back in 1828, such a dish would have involved a clay or copper pot for boiling eggs and making broth, a metate (large stone grinder) for grinding both the herbs and nuts, and a comal or heavy iron pan for frying. A large wooden spoon and perhaps a simple knife would have been used for mixing and stuffing the eggs, while an open fire or a wood-fired stove would have supplied the necessary heat.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings
3
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 ounce fresh parsley
- 4-5 whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 ounces blanched almonds
- 1 1/2 ounces walnuts (about 8-10 walnut halves)
- 3-4 tablespoons (1 1/2 - 2 fluid ounces) pork lard or unsalted butter
- 2 slices day-old bread, about 1 1/2 ounces
- Salt to taste (modern addition, optional)
Instructions
- Begin by boiling 6 large eggs until they are hard cooked—about 10-12 minutes.
- Once done, place them in cold water to cool, then peel the shells and carefully slice them in half.
- Set aside the yolks.
- Finely chop a generous handful of fresh parsley (about 1/2 ounce), and prepare 4-5 whole cloves, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, and 2-3 garlic cloves.
- Grind these together with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder until very fine.
- Sauté this mixture in 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) of pork lard or unsalted butter over medium heat, cooking until the strong, raw taste of parsley disappears, about 3-4 minutes.
- Coarsely chop 1 1/2 ounces of blanched almonds and 1 1/2 ounces of walnuts.
- Fry these nuts in another tablespoon (1/2 fluid ounce) of lard or butter until golden brown.
- Remove them, let cool slightly, then grind them as finely as possible, without water.
- Combine the sautéed parsley mixture with the ground nut paste.
- Add in the egg yolks, mashing them together to create a thick filling.
- Stuff this mixture back into the egg whites.
- Heat more lard or butter in a pan, and gently fry the stuffed eggs until golden on each side.
- Separately, prepare a light broth or sauce using the water used to rinse your grinder, and thicken this with slices of day-old bread (about 2 slices, fried in lard until golden, then crushed).
- Add the fried bread to thicken, simmer gently, and finally add the fried eggs to warm through before serving.
Estimated Calories
250 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 15 minutes to prepare the ingredients, 20 minutes to cook everything, and each serving has about 250 calories. This recipe makes 6 stuffed eggs, enough for 3 servings.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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