Behold, Dilma Rousseff and Angela Merkel. They join Benazir Bhutto, Eva Perone, and Christiane Amanpour. Thing 1 was originally Maya Angelou (a favorite woman of mine), but her name wasn't in keeping with our line up. Maybe next time.
So, these ladies are Anconas. That means they're great layers ... a breeder told me they're black Leghorns. I don't really know what that means.
What I do know is they'll produce anywhere from 200 to 300 eggs per year. That's at least 1 per day from each of them. Our Americana and our Chantecler have both been giving us an egg a day for two weeks now. Looks like we're in egg heaven!
Now, what to do with all the eggs? Egg sandwiches are a morning favorite, as is brunch for breakfast. The roommates made this killer dish the other night with poached eggs on top!
Poached eggs aren't easy for a cooking novice. They take patience and the willingness to screw up a few times during the learning process. But once mastered, ohmahgoodness there is little that is better than a runny yolk.
How does one poach an egg? It's pretty simple:
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then lower the heat to a dull simmer.
Some folks add vinegar to the water. There's a legend out there that this helps the egg coagulate when dropped in the pot. I don't know if this is true or not, but I will say I've never poached eggs without it. I've only used just a dollop, never more than a few tablespoons worth.
Be sure your eggs are cold- right out of the fridge. Break them one at a time into a small bowl, then lightly place them into the water bath.
*DON'T STIR THE WATER! NEVER STIR THE WATER! JUST LET IT SIT THERE!*
When the whites become opaque and the yolk starts to cook, use a slotted spoon to pull the eggs out of the water. It's handy to keep some paper towels in your other hand and drain some of the water off your egg.
Place on pasta, hash, roasted veggies, pizza, hamburgers, anywhere you need protein and nature's perfect sauce: runny yolks!
Turns out you can poach just about anything in just about everything. Tomato juice, stocks, milk ... if it's liquid it can poach. Try poaching your eggs in something new and exciting. Be advised- eggs will change color depending on the poaching liquid.
Also delightful: meringue. Light, delicate, difficult. For some. Well, for most of us. I can't tell you how many times I've failed to create stiff peaks out of egg whites and sugar, but fear not! There are easy ways to figure out what you're doing wrong. It's never the egg's fault.
Basic Meringue Recipe
Three egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp salt
3/4 cup fine grain sugar
Stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer
Big 'ol bowl
First things first: that bowl better be clean. Any grease or residual shmear that might be in the bowl will inhibit the growth of lustrous egg white peaks. I've made this mistake before when making mousse. In a fit of chaotic frenzy I accidentally whipped the cream first, not the eggs. Not thinking, I went seamlessly from one task to the other ... and had to toss a bunch of egg whites, wash the bowl, and start all over.
I'll never make that mistake again.
So, whip your egg whites until they start to foam. That gets a bunch of air in there and a place for sugar to take up residence. Once foamy, up your speed from medium to medium high on your mixer and add in your sugar just a bit at a time. That way the sugar dissolves evenly. I don't have a problem with gritty meringue, but some do. The picky ones. I know you're out there.
An important note: If you mix your egg whites too far, the proteins will start to separate. They will clump together in bunches and start to look dull and listless. If this has happened to you, throw the lot out and start over. Seriously.
Once your peaks are formed, you can stuff a bunch of the meringue into a clean gallon plastic bag and snip a hole in one corner, using it as a piping bag. You can pipe lovely clouds onto a parchment lined sheet and bake these suckers at 200 degrees or so- that way they won't brown.
You can also use this stuff to top a custard pie before it goes in the oven ... I made lemon meringue pie for my mother-in-law's birthday once. I think we all agreed it came out just fine.
You can also add various extracts and food coloring to get those delightful shades proudly advertised by French patisseries downtown.
Add melted chocolate. Holy moly. Then add cayanne pepper. Mind. Blown.
Here's an awesome mousse recipe for you .. the one I use all the time:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
3 egg whites (use the yolks for some other application, like dinner)
tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fine grain sugar
So .. meringue your egg whites using 3/4 cup of the sugar, as listed above. Allow meringue to chill while you then whip 1 cup of the cream, adding the remaining sugar and the vanilla in the process.
Take the chocolate chips and melt them in a microwave safe bowl. It usually takes only a minute, stirring every 30 seconds.
I then temper the hot chocolate with the remaining 1/4 cup of cream. Next up, fold fold fold fold. Fold the chocolate into a quarter of the egg whites. Then fold that into the whipped cream. Then fold in the remaining egg whites.
Spoon into mugs or small bowls. Top with shaved chocolate, berries, guilt, shame.
Just kidding. It isn't *that* bad for you. Is it? It certainly tastes lighter than any other dessert I usually opt for. And that's what matters: how you feel in the end.
I think that's long winded enough for one blog post. Your homework this time is to seek out some local eggs. When in doubt, compare a local, farm fresh, egg to one from a large scale producer. I think you'll see a huge difference in yolk color, size, taste, and overall satisfaction.
Trust me. It's worth the extra money and effort.
May your meals be sunny-side-up moments in your busy life. xo
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