Press Release
In David's Kitchen
Tuesday 1st May 2007
This month: Eggs Tips and tricks from Easy Livings food editor David Herbert. This month, he focuses on the beautifully versatile and deliciously notorious egg. “The humble egg is one of the worlds most basic and familiar ingredients, yet also one of the most versatile and indispensable. Eggs have always fascinated me. For example, the way an egg white can foam and, with the addition of sugar and a little heat, turn into meringue is nothing, short of miraculous.Similarly, custard – a mixture of egg yolks, cream, vanilla and sugar, stirred over heat until deliciously thick – must be my favourite (and most frequently cooked) dessert.
Mostly, though, eggs provide a perfect protein pack and are a meal in minutes. A boiled egg with soldiers of buttery toast is the ideal Sunday night supper after you’ve had a blowout roast lunch, or perfect for anyone feeling slightly under the weather. And after I’ve spent a frantic working day testing and tasting recipes, or perhaps at the end of a long photo shoot, my perfect supper is a plain dish of Scrambled eggs.
Simple meals are still plentiful – think salads of fresh green leaves and crispy bacon topped with a soft poached egg, or an omelette filled with feta and herbs. Little pots of baked eggs are good, too – break an egg into a ramekin and top with fresh crabmeat, chives and a little cream. Season well and bake in a bain-marie for about eight minutes or until set. For a sophisticated take on soft-boiled eggs, try replacing the toast soldiers with steamed asparagus spears or grissini wrapped in Parma ham.
This month, my star egg recipe is the tortilla from out tapas story. Discovering the trick to a perfect tortilla was to change the way I think about omelettes… with tortillas it’s important to remember that its all about the filling, and the potato and onion are held together with only a small amount of egg. It’s very different to a classic omelette, where egg is the principal ingredient. Do try it, the result is a beautiful very light yet substantial dish.
When testing recipes I always buy free-range eggs – the difference in flavour is enormous. I am currently fascinated by eggs from Clarence Court farm; the yolks have a beautiful deep yellow colour, and the delicate blue shells of the Old Cotswold Legbar hens are extraordinary.
You may imagine that my cupboards are chock-a-block with exotic ingredients and sophisticated produce, yet I always seem to have to many eggs in the pantry rather than anything else. Aside from their versatile deliciousness, I simply can’t resist buying the organic varieties that I discover in farmers’ markets.”
Beyond hens eggs: Bantam laying from mid-March to September. Smaller than regular eggs, these have delicious intense flavour, and make wonderful scrambled eggs. Use as you would chickens eggs. Available from Waitrose, Harrods and some farmers markets.
Pheasant small olive-brown eggs in season mid-March to September. Perfect hard-boiled with celery-salt, they are also good served soft-boiled with hollandaise sauce or in a salad. Available from Waitrose.
Quail cute, small and speckled. Serve with some spiced salt as a snack with drinks. Poached or boiled, they also make a decorative and delicious addition to salads. Available in larger supermarkets.
Duck these make good omelettes and are great in cakes. Widely available.