Friday, January 16, 2009

Egg Expert

I bet you didn't know I was an egg expert. It's true, I love eggs and over the many years I have been buying and preparing them I have learned a few things.

  • Very few things compare to the pleasure of eating a properly cooked, fresh egg.
  • Pasture-raised chickens that feed on bugs and feed produce the absolute best tasting eggs.
  • Egg white omelette's are an abomination (plus all the nutrition is in the yolk).
  • Learning to make egg dishes takes years of practice, and is totally worth the effort.
  • The darker the yolk, the fresher, tastier and higher quality the egg.

Eggs are so versatile and inexpensive that I cook them frequently for breakfast and dinner. I do know that it pays to find the freshest, best eggs you can get. Farmer's markets are the best place, but barring that cage-free, organic eggs are the next best thing. Just be sure to buy them from a place that moves their produce, you don't want to be stuck with product that has been sitting on the shelf for a long time.
My favorite egg cook book is The Good Egg which a James Beard award winning book. Tons of fantastic recipes plus step-by-step instructions to make perfect eggs.
My favorite dinner egg recipe is Michael Chiarello's Bitter Greens with Poached Egg and Prosciutto Bits. I have made this many times, always with great results.
Plus it's healthy and it has bacon. Sigh, did I mention I love bacon?

2 comments:

Amy said...

I agree!

I cannot WAIT to get my chickens! (did I mention....that best gift I received this holiday was an electric hen, aka: incubator?)

BlondeJustice said...

I just recently combined a couple of different practices to achieve the most perfect of poached eggs, so this recipe you posted is now a MUST TRY.

BTW, last nights Iron Chef was all about Bacon. Yeah, I died.