Egg-ceptionally delicious!



Farm eggs are exquisitely lovely!

 Eggs are a good source of saturated fats, protein and cholesterol. They have the added bonus of being pretty cheap, even for quality eggs. About half my eggs come from friends with chickens, the other half are the organic brown eggs from Costco. The pastured eggs are a steal at 21 cents a piece (yeah, really) and the Costco ones are 25 cents a piece. I can serve a very substantial meal using two and half dozen eggs for a paltry $4.50 or less. That is a song! Not only are they inexpensive and nourishing but they are delicious making them a rocking triple threat. But you can do more with them than simply fry or scramble. Rest assured, that all my suggestions have the approval of my picky teenaged eater. If it is Joey Approved, its gotta be really good.
Try them these ways:

*Omelet (recipe HERE)
*Baked Custard (my recipe follows, a more flan-like one is at the Healthy Home Economist's HERE)
*Frittata (my potato free version follows)
*Latin Eggs and Beans (follows, too)
*Egg enriched soups (yep, also follows)

Baked Custard

First up, my kids' favorite: baked custard. It is a fluffy more soufflé type dish but not fussy or difficult. Start by preheating the oven to 375.

1 stick of butter, preferably pastured
6 whole eggs
6 yolks
1/2 C maple syrup, grade B for added minerals
1 C cream, not UHP
1/2  tsp cinnamon

Melt the stick of butter in a ten inch cast iron pan while you combine the other ingredients with a whisk. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and whisk to combine butter. It does not need to be perfectly combined. Bake in pan for 22 minutes or until fluffy and the center is set, check with a knife because the butter will sit on top. Slice and serve immediately.



Frittata

Baked eggs can be a savory food, served for breakfast, lunch, tea or supper. In a twelve inch cast iron frying pan sauté one sweet onion, chopped, with one bell pepper, julienne, in a healthy fat like more butter, lard, bacon fat or even the pedestrian olive oil. When just under done, sprinkle with grated cheese (my family is big on Gouda and Jarlsburg right now) and pour over one dozen eggs. Bake at 375 for the same amount of time. Turn out onto a large cutting board, slice, serve, enjoy. Easy peasy. This method can also be adapted to use up small amounts of leftovers when there isn't enough for a meal otherwise.

Latin Eggs and Beans

This sounds weird to Americans but it is really good! Start by making my refried beans (HERE) but keep the mixture "loose". Preheat oven to 375 again. In your trusty cast iron pan, melt some fat, swirl pan to grease sides, and add the beans and warm them through. Then create small dips with the back of a spoon and crack an egg in each. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes. A little enchilada sauce over the beans, sprinkled with cheese, before baking is gilding the lily but who's opposed to gilding?

Egg Enriched Soups

Technically speaking (or according to the French), enriched means adding cream to soups but in many Asian cuisines, eggs are added. Beat a few eggs into a measuring cup with a pouring spout. An egg per pint of soup is a good starting point. After the soup has come to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and pour eggs in a slow steady stream while stirring. The result is those immediately recognizable strings of egg-y goodness that you see in Chinese Egg Drop Soup. When meat is scant (prices, using left-overs) eggs can add meatiness and important fats.

Need more ideas? Check out the Egg Board's website HERE. Not all of the recipes are perfect, but it can be a great starting point and there are delicious looking recipes that can give you some great ideas (baked eggs with spinach and parma anyone?). If you have any egg-ceptionally delicious egg recipes, I'd love to hear about them.

Linking up to Pennywise Platter and Simple Lives!