The Egg
I can trace my love affair with the humble egg back to childhood memories of my father bringing home a tray of eggs (36 in total) bought from a smallholding in Bungay, Suffolk, run by John Hopton and his wife Margaret. Their house and garden, shrouded with endless curiosity, was packed with the most abundant crops of fruit and vegetables imaginable, chickens, ducks and I think even a pig. However, the fact that their garden straddled two counties – Norfolk and Suffolk – was the most fascinating. How was this possible? Which county did they put on their address? To this day, I still don’t know. A mystery never to be solved…
But it is the taste of a freshly fried, or boiled, or scrambled egg (along with the taste of homemade butter, unpasteurized milk and excellent quality meat – all subjects for another day!) which has stayed with me over the years and informs my shopping habits today. An egg fried in butter with crispy bits on the outside, a perfectly cooked poached egg where the yolk cascades over the beautifully tender piece of cured ham and provides a sauce for the accompanying chips; and lightly scrambled eggs, cooked slowly over a low heat, stirring all the time, finished with smoked salmon and served with brown toast and homemade Seville orange marmalade are dishes fit for a king, or in the UK, a queen!
Many chefs similarly hold childhood memories of this humble ingredient
In his book Gordon Ramsey’s Secrets, Gordon recalls eating egg sarnies packed by his mother into his lunchbox for school outings which smelt so bad that no one would sit beside him, but he didn’t care because they tasted so good. Simon Hopkinson in his book Roast Chicken and Other Stories recalls his fondness for custard and Mr Bird, of Bird’s Custard fame who (his father said) drove a Rolls Royce the same colour as his famous product. Simon is not the only chef left in bewilderment as to how people rarely bother to put together an egg yolk, sugar and cream in order to make custard (or vla in the Netherlands).
This homemade custard, custard sauce or crème anglaise uses just eggs yolks as the thickening agent and is a new and rare treat for my Dutch friends. The lightness of texture is in complete contrast to the slightly cloying texture of the shop bought vla. Who in the UK does not remember Marcus Wareing (now MasterChef presenter and Michelin starred chef) in 2006, creating a now legendary custard tart in the Great British Menu final which was served to the Queen for her 80th birthday banquet? I have slaved in the kitchen trying to recreate this dish, complete with grated nutmeg on the top!
The food writer and chef, Simon Hopkinson’s love of eggs is similarly rooted in childhood memories
Again, in his book Roast Chicken and Other Stories, he reminisces about eating in Lacy’s in Whitfield Street, London. It was the first exciting restaurant I had ever visited in the big city. I lunched alone (aged 18), was a little nervous and had a ball…
The owner, Margaret Costa, wrote one of his all-time favourite recipe books, The Four Seasons Cookery Bookwhich includes a recipe for a Lemon Surprise Pudding. I never tire of eating it. It has nursery food qualities about it; the soft sponge topping and the lemony custard beneath is a sublime combination. Eat it warm with thick cream.
So, how should we cook this humble ingredient?
It seems we are not short on advice! The egg is such an important ingredient, many chefs and food writers devote whole chapters, inviting us to whisk, swirl, boil, fry, bake, scramble, and even preserve. I only have time to highlight a few…
Following in the tradition set in 1998 by Delia Smith in her How to Cook series (where she was much ridiculed for teaching the British nation how to boil an egg!), Heston Blumenthal, owner of the three Michelin starred restaurant, The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, explains the science in his 2012 programme: How to Cook Like Heston which is still available on YouTube.
Ably helped by some ladies in his village, he shares his tips for cooking these little things that have just been pushed out of a chicken’s… He recommends cracking an egg on a flat surface to reduce the chance of getting eggshell in the bowl. When boiling an egg, in order to avoid a rubbery white or an undercooked yolk, he suggests placing the egg in a pan of cold water, and once boiled, immediately remove the pan from the heat, and let the egg sit in the saucepan with the lid on for 6 minutes.
When cooking scrambled eggs, Heston uses the mantra, cook low and slow over a bain marie if possible, to create a creamy texture. He adds butter and cream while cooking and finishes the eggs with a touch of sherry vinegar to cut through the creaminess.
And lastly when poaching, Heston advises using the freshest eggs possible. He places the egg in 80ºC water, after first putting a plate in the bottom of the saucepan, so the egg avoids any direct contact with the heat, and cooks for 4 minutes.
Elizabeth David, the English food writer who started cooking when rationing was still in full force post WWII, has other ideas!
In the preface to her book entitled French Country Cooking, Elizabeth talks at length about poached eggs. She quotes Dr Kitchiner, the author of the Cook’s Oracle (1829) who says:
The cook who wishes to display her skill in Poaching, must endeavour to procure eggs that have been laid a couple of days, those that are quite new-laid are so milky that, take all the care you can, your cooking of them will seldom procure you the praise of being a Prime Poacher. You must have fresh eggs, or it is equally impossible…
The beauty of a Poached Egg is for the yolk to be seen blushing through the white – which should only be just sufficiently hardened to form a transparent Veil for the Egg.
Elizabeth advocates dipping each egg whole, in its shell, into a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds before then breaking the eggs into a fresh pan of swirling, boiling water with a dessertspoon of vinegar, and then cooking for a minute and a half. She is equally clear on serving instructions and has never been able to understand the point of sodden toast, instead giving instructions to serve the egg on freshly buttered bread, or on a puree of some kind, with pieces of fried bread placed around, but not under, the eggs.
What can I add to this discussion?
Family favourites in our house (aside from using eggs to bake a terrifying number of cakes and brownies!) include meringues and pavlovas which always find their way onto our dinner table. Simply whisk the whites of 4 or 6 eggs until firm, add 50g of sugar per egg, whisk a little more, and bake slowly in a 100ºC oven for a couple of hours. This pavlova never fails to thrill especially when, in the height of summer, topped with macerated strawberries and whipped cream. Nigella’s Lemon Meringue Cake (my sister’s favourite!) from her book Feast has a similar effect on guests.
Eggs can make the difference between good pastry cooking and pastry which creates that wow factor! A lightly whisked egg brushed onto pastry can create a wonderfully crisp, golden crust, and leave enough leftover egg to blast in the microwave for 20 seconds and produce a delicious little omelette.
Eggs can also be used with leftover rice to create homemade egg-fried rice, fabulously quick and easy to make, just with the addition of seasoning, butter, a little groundnut oil and a few peas for colour and texture. Incredibly tasty and moreish.
And so, I turn to my local supplier, Hammiehoeve, a wonderful small holding in the suburbs of Enschede, run by the lovely Leonie and Chielant (with the occasional help of her mother, Akkebouk), home to many beautiful free-range chickens, two pigs, two peacocks and a wonderful little shop where cyclists can stop for a coffee and fill up their water bottle as part of the Rustpunt.nl initiative. Eggs can be purchased at any time of the day from a vending machine also laden with local honey and jam. Quality eggs really are worth the effort.
I will leave you with these words from Simon Hopkinson:
The versatility of eggs is a constant source of amazement, and it upsets me sometimes when they are just taken for granted
The number of dishes that can be made from eggs, plus their many supporting acts is, quite simply, magical. Without eggs where would be our mayonnaises, hollandaises, béarnaises, custards, cakes, omelettes or Yorkshire puddings? How would we make lovely clear soups, meringues and jellies, without egg whites? And breakfasts, Sunday suppers, and picnics would never be the same again.
Follow Clare Varney on Facebook or Instagram to read more about Music, Food and Culture
