Shirred Eggs (1871, 1872)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   Back to food after all that "trash talk."
   OED has 1883 for "shirred eggs."  I was really surprised that GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK full text didn't have this, nor did the BROOKLYN EAGLE or NEW YORK TIMES before this date.

   Richard Grant White's note in THE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1861-1871), pg. 525, is "shirred eggs are so called because they are cooked in an earthen platter."  It's at:

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moa;cc=moa;sid=a38cb6aa33ddbdf56de1b434aa84893b;q1=shirred%20egg%2A;rgn=full%20text;idno=ABA6862.0010.001;view=image;seq=00000529

   HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE, May 1872, pg. 872, has a menu that has "Boiled Eggs, Fried Eggs, Poached Eggs, Scrambled Eggs, Shirred Eggs, Omelet."  Take a look at the menu at:

http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?frames=1&coll=moa&view=50&root=%2Fmoa%2Fharp%2Fharp0044%2F&tif=00882.TIF&cite=http%3A%2F%2Fcdl.library.cornell.edu%2Fcgi-bin%2Fmoa%2Fmoa-cgi%3Fnotisid%3DABK4014-0044-120