The Americans are ‘shell shocked’ in a myriad of ways at present.
‘Liberation’ Day and its fallout has left them and us reeling with no idea of how the wind will blow next. Ironically, something more mundane has also been causing huge anxiety.
For the past few months, the price of eggs has become a major American obsession. The price has soared, largely due to a bird flu outbreak. Since the beginning of the year, about 30 million birds have been culled and authorities are battling the thriving egg smuggling market which has developed across the border from Mexico where eggs cost $2 per dozen as opposed to $10 dollars per dozen in California…
Who knew that eggs could cause such disruption? For me, though, it’s not surprising. They are by far the cheapest protein, enormously versatile, super easy to cook, can be used in sweet or savoury dishes and there are so many delicious ways to create a nourishing meal in minutes from a couple of eggs.
At present, our flocks of hens are also locked in as a precaution against bird flu. They hate being cooped up, is it my imagination or are the eggs less delicious and nutrient dense?
Here’s hoping, we’ll get the go-ahead, very soon to release them out onto the rich pasture that they love.
Easter and chicks are synonymous in my mind, we’ve been hatching out a variety of traditional breeds in time for the holiday. Such joy and excitement on the children’s faces when they see the newborn chicks pecking their way out of their shells in the Palais des Poulets.
Aficionados of this column will be well aware of how much I love hens and regularly urge readers to think about having even three or four hens in a movable chicken coop on their lawn. Win, win all the way, your food scraps get fed to the hens and come back as eggs a few days later.
The ‘poo’ goes into the compost and back onto the garden to make the soil more fertile to grow even more nutritious vegetables plus you don’t have to pay the council to take away your food waste.
All super important but this is a food column, so we’ll concentrate on the bonus for the cook of having beautiful, fresh eggs to add magic to your cooking, instead of weeks old eggs to cook with. It makes a phenomenal difference to the flavour of dishes; you probably won’t believe me until you taste the difference.
Easter is all about eggs, there’s always lots of fun on Easter Sunday when the children discover that our clever hens have laid eggs with their names when they collect the eggs from the nests before going for an Easter bunny hunt around the garden – this time for chocolate eggs.
At Easter, it’s good to remember that eggs represent and celebrate new life and rebirth, mirroring the resurrection of Jesus in Christianity. During the medieval period, it was forbidden to eat eggs during the forty days of Lent, so everyone enthusiastically tucked into an egg feast on Easter Sunday.
If you haven’t had time to make the traditional Simnel Cake, it’s a bit late now but how about the delicious Easter Egg Cake (see my Easter column published on 9th April 2023), super easy, made in minutes in a food processor. Decorate with Easter bunnies or Easter egg nests or how about this Lemon Meringue Roulade to round off Easter Sunday lunch.
Happy
Easter to you all.
Eggs Bhurji
Delicious spicy scrambled eggs from the Sun House in Galle on the South Coast of Sri Lanka.
Serves 2
Ingredients
25g butter
1 tsp mustard seeds
a few small fresh curry leaves
2 spring onions, finely chopped
½ tsp grated ginger
½ hot green chilli pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
pinch of turmeric
½ tsp cumin
1 ripe tomato, skinned and diced
4 free-range eggs
toast,
grilled bread or flatbread
Method
Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, stir once then add the curry leaves and spring onion, stir and cook on a low to medium heat until the onions are soft. Add the ginger, chilli, turmeric, cumin powder and diced tomato, stir and fry gently for a couple of minutes stirring regularly.
Add the beaten eggs and continue to stir over a low heat until the eggs are softly scrambled.
Serve on
warm plates with hot toast, grilled bread or flatbread.
Hot Lemon Soufflé
A tangy melt in the mouth flourless soufflé. This feather light dessert will knock the socks off your friends and astound you by how easy it is to make something so delicious and impressive.
For best flavour, use organic or unwaxed lemons if at all possible. Best to cook in a conventional rather than a fan oven.
Serves 8
Ingredients
50g butter
110g caster sugar – use half with the egg whites
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
4 organic egg yolks
grated zest from 2 organic lemons
5 organic egg whites
icing sugar (for sprinkling)
For the Dishes
25g butter
25g caster sugar to line the soufflé dishes
8 individual soufflé dishes (9cm diameter/100ml)
Method
Brush the inside of the soufflé dishes with melted butter, sprinkle with caster sugar and shake out the excess.
First make the lemon curd base.
In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter with half the sugar and all the lemon juice over a low heat. When all the butter and sugar are melted, remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks one by one. Add the lemon zest. Heat very gently, stirring constantly with a straight ended wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens to coat the back of the spoon. This is lemon curd, so be careful to not let it get too hot or it will curdle.
The soufflé can be prepared to this point, 3-4 hours ahead. Keep the mixture covered at room temperature.
20-30 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff, preferably in a large stainless-steel or copper bowl. Add the remaining caster sugar and beat for 20 seconds longer or until glossy. Gently reheat the lemon mixture until hot to the touch, then stir in about a quarter of the egg whites. Add this mixture to the remaining egg whites and fold them together as lightly as possible.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared soufflé dishes, smooth the surface of each with a palette knife. Bake at once in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes or until the soufflés are puffed and golden brown on top. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve at once on hot plates.
Top Tip
This
soufflé can be prepared ahead in individual soufflé dishes and frozen overnight
or for a few days. Cook straight from the freezer, they will take about 12-15
minutes.
Lemon Meringue Roulade
Making a roulade is another fun thing to do with meringue – cook the meringue lightly so it’s still soft enough to roll. Fill it with lots of lemon curd and softly whipped cream and whatever else you fancy.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
4 organic, free-range egg whites
225g caster sugar
sunflower oil, for greasing
300ml whipped cream
For the Lemon Curd
50g butter
100g caster sugar
zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 organic, free-range eggs and 1 egg yolk, beaten
For the Crystallized Lemon Peel
2 lemons
150ml stock syrup (see recipe)
caster sugar, for sprinkling
sprigs of mint, lemon balm or sweet cicely to garnish
Method
If making the crystallized lemon peel, peel the lemons very thinly with a swivel-top peeler, being careful not to include the white pith, and cut the strips into fine julienne. Put in a saucepan with 450ml water and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan, refresh in cold water and repeat the process again. Put the lemon julienne in a saucepan with the stock syrup and cook gently until they look translucent or opaque. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to cool on baking parchment paper or a wire rack. When cold, sprinkle with caster sugar. The crystallized lemon peel can be stored in a jar or airtight tin for weeks or sometimes months.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Put the egg whites into the spotlessly clean bowl of a food mixer. Break up with the whisk attachment and then add all the caster sugar in one go. Whisk at full speed for 10-15 minutes until stiff peaks form.
Meanwhile, line a 30.5 x 20.5cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment and brush lightly with sunflower oil.
Spread the meringue gently over the tin with a palette knife – it ought to be quite thick and bouncy. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Put a sheet of baking parchment on a worktop, turn the roulade out onto it, remove the parchment from the base of the meringue and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, make the lemon curd.
Melt the butter over a very low heat, add the sugar, lemon zest and juice and then stir in the well-beaten eggs. Stir carefully over a gentle heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Pour into a bowl (it will thicken as it cools).
To assemble the roulade, spread most of the whipped cream and lemon curd (as much as you like) over the meringue, keeping it 1cm in from the edge. Roll up from the long side and carefully ease on to a serving plate. Decorate with the reserved cream, crystallized lemon peel and fresh mint, lemon balm or sweet cicely leaves, if using. Serve cut into 2.5cm thick slices and drizzle with a little more lemon curd if desired.
Stock Syrup
Makes 825ml
450g sugar
600ml water
To make the stock syrup: Dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 minutes then allow it to cool. Store in the fridge until needed.
