Recipes that highlight eggs?
June 2, 2013 6:07 AM Subscribe
What are stunningly delicious dishes where eggs play the star role?
For the purposes of this question, assume access to any possible ingredient, a nearly unlimited budget, and a willingness to follow a complicated recipe.
For the purposes of this question, assume access to any possible ingredient, a nearly unlimited budget, and a willingness to follow a complicated recipe.
I have not actually made either of these yet, but they look amazing and are from reputable recipe sources:
-Poached eggs with spiced lentils
-Shakshuka (eggs poached in tomato sauce)
posted by capricorn at 6:13 AM on June 2, 2013 [10 favorites]
-Poached eggs with spiced lentils
-Shakshuka (eggs poached in tomato sauce)
posted by capricorn at 6:13 AM on June 2, 2013 [10 favorites]
Marco Canora's egg and tomato bruschetta seems like nothing on the page, but is amazingly delicious if you use really good ingredients.
posted by neroli at 6:16 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by neroli at 6:16 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Shakahuka as previously posted.
Bacon egg and cheese biscuits aren't the same without eggs. In a much different sense as though it were lacking bacon or cheese.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:27 AM on June 2, 2013
Bacon egg and cheese biscuits aren't the same without eggs. In a much different sense as though it were lacking bacon or cheese.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:27 AM on June 2, 2013
There is a local Minneapolis restaurant (Bar la Grassa) that has a bruscetta with lobster and soft eggs thing. I swear to this day it is the best thing I have ever put in my mouth.
Recipe
posted by sanka at 6:27 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Recipe
posted by sanka at 6:27 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Quiche. Spinach, bacon, onions, and/or ham *drool*
posted by Melismata at 6:31 AM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 6:31 AM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
I will also vouch for shakshuka.
Asparagus with poached egg and miso butter is a seasonal favorite around here.
Don't overlook the humble deviled egg, which can be dressed up in a million ways and never fails to satisfy.
posted by juliapangolin at 6:33 AM on June 2, 2013
Asparagus with poached egg and miso butter is a seasonal favorite around here.
Don't overlook the humble deviled egg, which can be dressed up in a million ways and never fails to satisfy.
posted by juliapangolin at 6:33 AM on June 2, 2013
If you have access to really fresh eggs, as in laid that morning, then scrambled eggs.
posted by hydrophonic at 6:34 AM on June 2, 2013
posted by hydrophonic at 6:34 AM on June 2, 2013
I'm sure you'll get fancier options, but I love scrambled eggs with cream cheese and green onions and/or chives. If you have some cottage fries or a little smoked salmon to go along with them, more's the better.
posted by loveyallaround at 6:48 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by loveyallaround at 6:48 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
When my chicken-owning friend gave us a bunch of freshly laid eggs I made a Spanish omelet, adding fresh tomatoes and lots of fresh herbs to the traditional potatoes and onions in the recipe. It was brighter yellow and more delicious than when using local organic store bought eggs. (I cook it by eye but there are lots of recipes to choose from on line, you can google Spanish omelet, Spanish tortilla, tortilla de patata.)
posted by third rail at 6:51 AM on June 2, 2013
posted by third rail at 6:51 AM on June 2, 2013
Flan.
Savory or chocolate soufflé.
And I don't know if you would consider this a "starring role," but eggs are what add the distinctive, rich mouthfeel to homemade French vanilla ice cream (that recipe calls for eight eggs!).
posted by Orinda at 6:56 AM on June 2, 2013
Savory or chocolate soufflé.
And I don't know if you would consider this a "starring role," but eggs are what add the distinctive, rich mouthfeel to homemade French vanilla ice cream (that recipe calls for eight eggs!).
posted by Orinda at 6:56 AM on June 2, 2013
Here is a recent favorite of mine where poached eggs are the star.
Eggs Benedict over salmon and you layer it like this:
Layer 1: toasted slice of sourdough cut in half
Layer 2: escarole or frisée that's been tossed with a mild citrus vinaigrette. You can add a tiny bit of coffee or espresso to the vinaigrette.
Layer 3: salmon lox
Layer 4: poached eggs (one on each piece of bread)
Layer 5: top with bechamel sauce
This is so yum!
posted by happysocks at 7:08 AM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Eggs Benedict over salmon and you layer it like this:
Layer 1: toasted slice of sourdough cut in half
Layer 2: escarole or frisée that's been tossed with a mild citrus vinaigrette. You can add a tiny bit of coffee or espresso to the vinaigrette.
Layer 3: salmon lox
Layer 4: poached eggs (one on each piece of bread)
Layer 5: top with bechamel sauce
This is so yum!
posted by happysocks at 7:08 AM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Wikipedia Category:Egg dishes
Things I do with very fresh eggs: poach and serve on buttered toast, poach and serve on a "delicate" salad," simple omelettes with herbs, soft-boiled in an egg cup with salt... "Modernist Cuisine" has an excellent page on what happens to an egg as it's cooked; here are the images -- too small to read the text, but still of use.
Things of note: changua, kedgeree, doro wot
posted by kmennie at 7:12 AM on June 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
Things I do with very fresh eggs: poach and serve on buttered toast, poach and serve on a "delicate" salad," simple omelettes with herbs, soft-boiled in an egg cup with salt... "Modernist Cuisine" has an excellent page on what happens to an egg as it's cooked; here are the images -- too small to read the text, but still of use.
Things of note: changua, kedgeree, doro wot
posted by kmennie at 7:12 AM on June 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
I love this recipe - Jacques Pepin's Eggs Jeanette. Delicious but may make your kitchen smell like sulfur.
posted by belau at 7:15 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by belau at 7:15 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Quiche. Spinach, bacon, onions, and/or ham *drool*
1000% agreed, but beware! We Americans often mistakenly make them in store-bought pie tins. They're too shallow, and if you do that you will almost certainly overcook it. Which won't taste awful or anything, but you won't get the true custard-y velvety goodness of a properly made quiche. You want a ring mold or cake pan at least 2" deep. Bon appetit!
posted by solotoro at 7:18 AM on June 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
1000% agreed, but beware! We Americans often mistakenly make them in store-bought pie tins. They're too shallow, and if you do that you will almost certainly overcook it. Which won't taste awful or anything, but you won't get the true custard-y velvety goodness of a properly made quiche. You want a ring mold or cake pan at least 2" deep. Bon appetit!
posted by solotoro at 7:18 AM on June 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
Huevos Rancheros are one of my favorite things on earth. Here's Smitten Kitchen's version.
posted by something something at 7:23 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by something something at 7:23 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I was thinking of shakshuka when writing this question, actually. All of these suggestions are great, I really liked kmennie's suggestions since they suggest dishes that are a little less well-known. Kedgeree sounds great, and I had forgotten about doro wot, which I really love.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:25 AM on June 2, 2013
posted by Deathalicious at 7:25 AM on June 2, 2013
Kedgeree. Kedgeree. Kedgeree.
I can't remember if this is traditional or not, but I put a small dice of potato in mine.
This is a Christmas morning tradition in my home.
posted by jbenben at 7:25 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
I can't remember if this is traditional or not, but I put a small dice of potato in mine.
This is a Christmas morning tradition in my home.
posted by jbenben at 7:25 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
I haven't made these, but ran across the recipe while looking for a different one.
Shirred eggs with sausage & spinach there's a couple different variations i saw, but i think they look pretty & sound delicious.
posted by TheAdamist at 7:29 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Shirred eggs with sausage & spinach there's a couple different variations i saw, but i think they look pretty & sound delicious.
posted by TheAdamist at 7:29 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Spaghetti Carbonara. The CI recipe I linked to calls for bacon, but guancainle is traditional, if you can get it.
posted by Diablevert at 7:37 AM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Diablevert at 7:37 AM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
For a more casual, uncomplicated approach with eggs, I enjoy Kaylyn's Egg Muffins. Make a batch and store them in a plastic bag in the fridge. They are a quick, filling and nutritious breakfast on the go. Just nuke two muffins for a minute, then grab them and out the door. Yum.
posted by MyTwoCentsToo at 8:22 AM on June 2, 2013
posted by MyTwoCentsToo at 8:22 AM on June 2, 2013
I made a pretty good burmese egg curry the other day from Naomi Duguid's Burma book. Basically a simple tomato & shallot sauce spiked with green chile, chili oil, fish sauce and tumeric and hard boiled eggs that are browned in tumeric colored oil.
posted by JPD at 9:00 AM on June 2, 2013
posted by JPD at 9:00 AM on June 2, 2013
Defiled eggs have been mentioned, but here are two options I would have never guessed to be as good as they are:
Add sriracha instead of mustard to the yolk, garnish with cilantro
Add finely minced hot dogs to the yolk mixture (sounds insane but DELICIOUS)
posted by Juliet Banana at 9:44 AM on June 2, 2013
Add sriracha instead of mustard to the yolk, garnish with cilantro
Add finely minced hot dogs to the yolk mixture (sounds insane but DELICIOUS)
posted by Juliet Banana at 9:44 AM on June 2, 2013
I get eggs just laid that morning (from a local chicken farm) but I disagree that a simple fried or poached egg is all that can be done with it. But I also agree that the best egg dishes do not require tons of work.
-Huevos Machaca is absolutely delicious and simple to make. Most I've had looks like this. It is basically a scramble.
-My dad makes the best whipped omelette. I haven't seen a recipe but this involves emptying the eggs into a bowl and then whipping the eggs until they are fluffy. Then pour it into a pan and add onions and peppers. Then you just make an omelette but one that feels light rather than heavy and the peppers and onions stand out.
-Uovo in Salsa Verde. This is actually an Italian recipe from Piemonte in Italy and I haven't seen a good recipe after googling. It is finger-licking delicious.So here goes:
Make a couple soft-boiled eggs. The yolk should be firm but still a bit runny.
Meanwhile, in a pan, combine butter, olive oil and gently fry onion and garlic. Add parsley too.
Add a bit of flour. Add light stock or water. You're making a creamy sauce.
Pour this sauce over the eggs, which have been halved or quartered.
posted by vacapinta at 9:45 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
-Huevos Machaca is absolutely delicious and simple to make. Most I've had looks like this. It is basically a scramble.
-My dad makes the best whipped omelette. I haven't seen a recipe but this involves emptying the eggs into a bowl and then whipping the eggs until they are fluffy. Then pour it into a pan and add onions and peppers. Then you just make an omelette but one that feels light rather than heavy and the peppers and onions stand out.
-Uovo in Salsa Verde. This is actually an Italian recipe from Piemonte in Italy and I haven't seen a good recipe after googling. It is finger-licking delicious.So here goes:
Make a couple soft-boiled eggs. The yolk should be firm but still a bit runny.
Meanwhile, in a pan, combine butter, olive oil and gently fry onion and garlic. Add parsley too.
Add a bit of flour. Add light stock or water. You're making a creamy sauce.
Pour this sauce over the eggs, which have been halved or quartered.
posted by vacapinta at 9:45 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
A favorite at our house is souffléed omelette, or as we usually call it, "puffy eggs". It is very easy, delicious, and a bit fancy.
You need:
small (about 9") nonstick or well seasoned skillet that can go in the oven
2 bowls
a whisk
a fork
4 eggs
1 tablespoon butter
salt, pepper, water
optional: some parmesan cheese to grate over top at the end
1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Separate the eggs -- yolks into a small bowl, whites into a medium-large bowl.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of water, a fat pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper to the yolks and stir with a fork.
4. Beat the egg whites with your whisk until they form firm, but not dry, peaks.
5. Melt the butter in the pan over medium-low heat. While it's melting, fold the yolks into the whites. Be gentle about it but make sure all the yolks are indeed mixed in, so you have a uniformly light yellow mixture.
6. When the butter begins to foam, pour/mound the eggs into the pan. Let cook for just a moment to set the bottom, then put the pan in the oven.
7. Bake for about 12 minutes, until cooked through, puffy, and golden.
We then grate some parmesan over it and have it cut into wedges (I slide it out of the pan onto a cutting board and cut it with a pizza wheel; a chef's knife or serrated knife would also work fine).
posted by redfoxtail at 9:56 AM on June 2, 2013 [5 favorites]
You need:
small (about 9") nonstick or well seasoned skillet that can go in the oven
2 bowls
a whisk
a fork
4 eggs
1 tablespoon butter
salt, pepper, water
optional: some parmesan cheese to grate over top at the end
1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Separate the eggs -- yolks into a small bowl, whites into a medium-large bowl.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of water, a fat pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper to the yolks and stir with a fork.
4. Beat the egg whites with your whisk until they form firm, but not dry, peaks.
5. Melt the butter in the pan over medium-low heat. While it's melting, fold the yolks into the whites. Be gentle about it but make sure all the yolks are indeed mixed in, so you have a uniformly light yellow mixture.
6. When the butter begins to foam, pour/mound the eggs into the pan. Let cook for just a moment to set the bottom, then put the pan in the oven.
7. Bake for about 12 minutes, until cooked through, puffy, and golden.
We then grate some parmesan over it and have it cut into wedges (I slide it out of the pan onto a cutting board and cut it with a pizza wheel; a chef's knife or serrated knife would also work fine).
posted by redfoxtail at 9:56 AM on June 2, 2013 [5 favorites]
Yotam Ottolenghi's Shakshuka is much more bell pepper based (though there are some tomatoes in it. It is soooooo so tasty. I also love the Smitten Kitchen tomato-based version.
posted by urbanlenny at 10:08 AM on June 2, 2013
posted by urbanlenny at 10:08 AM on June 2, 2013
If you've never tried making scrambled eggs the French way (very slowly, with constant stirring, in a bain-marie), you owe it to yourself to try. They come out deep gold, unctuous and delicate, and completely unlike what I grew up thinking of as "scrambled eggs". The better the eggs, the better the results.
posted by AkzidenzGrotesk at 10:18 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by AkzidenzGrotesk at 10:18 AM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
You know, it occurs to me that this whole thread is savoury dishes, but of course eggs are tremendously important to desserts as well. You might try a creme anglaise (custard) for yolks, and then make a pavlova with the whites. Or lemon meringue pie --- same idea, but of course the lemon flavour in the curd does dominate the eggs in the filling.
posted by Diablevert at 11:03 AM on June 2, 2013
posted by Diablevert at 11:03 AM on June 2, 2013
I don't have the recipe, but my mother in law makes her own mayonnaise once a year, and it's pretty hard to go back to the bottle afterwards
posted by Mchelly at 11:49 AM on June 2, 2013
posted by Mchelly at 11:49 AM on June 2, 2013
Eggs can be substituted for a lot of meats from my experience. I need a diet rich in protein and I don't always have the time (or money- especially back in college) to use meat. These are quick meals that I usually make for myself. For larger dinners I usually use meat.
1) Egg Soup - Also Egg Drop Soup
- You can make any sort of soup you want and add eggs. Egg Drop Soup is of course a traditional Asian dish, but I have made egg soup with a variety of frozen vegetables and chicken/beef stock. I add spices and sometimes cream or milk too. It's also pretty quick.
2) Egg Stir Fry
- This may sound weird, but really, it's good! Similar to tofu - eggs soak up sauces and flavors really well. I scramble a couple eggs and add frozen vegetables. Once they are all cooked/heated through I usually add sauce and/or spices.
The cool thing about this dish is you can really change up the flavor with the spices you add. For instance adding an All Spice or Italian seasonings will give it a different flavor than if you add soy sauce or sweet and sour.
3) (Fried) Egg Sandwich
- I usually start to scramble my egg(s) then pull them into a flat little bread-size circle or oval. Then if I have lunchmeat - usually ham - I toss that in the pan to give it a little bit of a crisp and warm it up. I usually also toast my bread in the pan. You can also add cheese. Then you layer all the ingredients together and get a good dipping sauce. (BBQ, Fry Sauce, A1, Ranch, etc)
posted by Crystalinne at 12:15 PM on June 2, 2013
1) Egg Soup - Also Egg Drop Soup
- You can make any sort of soup you want and add eggs. Egg Drop Soup is of course a traditional Asian dish, but I have made egg soup with a variety of frozen vegetables and chicken/beef stock. I add spices and sometimes cream or milk too. It's also pretty quick.
2) Egg Stir Fry
- This may sound weird, but really, it's good! Similar to tofu - eggs soak up sauces and flavors really well. I scramble a couple eggs and add frozen vegetables. Once they are all cooked/heated through I usually add sauce and/or spices.
The cool thing about this dish is you can really change up the flavor with the spices you add. For instance adding an All Spice or Italian seasonings will give it a different flavor than if you add soy sauce or sweet and sour.
3) (Fried) Egg Sandwich
- I usually start to scramble my egg(s) then pull them into a flat little bread-size circle or oval. Then if I have lunchmeat - usually ham - I toss that in the pan to give it a little bit of a crisp and warm it up. I usually also toast my bread in the pan. You can also add cheese. Then you layer all the ingredients together and get a good dipping sauce. (BBQ, Fry Sauce, A1, Ranch, etc)
posted by Crystalinne at 12:15 PM on June 2, 2013
Empanadas almost always include chopped hard boiled eggs in the filling.
I've been meaning to try an egg curry which looks good too.
posted by Kololo at 1:14 PM on June 2, 2013
I've been meaning to try an egg curry which looks good too.
posted by Kololo at 1:14 PM on June 2, 2013
A couple of suggestions on the shakshuka recipe linked above if you're open to being sort of fussy about it:
1) Char the peppers (basically, stick them directly into flame) and slide the skins off before seeding/chopping them. I like the smokiness this adds.
2) Smoked paprika's great in this, for similar reasons.
3) I've liked the results of cooking the tomato/pepper/onion/etc mixture for closer to 60-90 mins at low heat, then running it through a food mill (medium disk) before putting it back into the pot with chickpeas. (The SK recipe doesn't include chickpeas, but many others do.) This is usually a pretty rustic dish, but I think it's better without the tomato seeds. The extra cooking time means you're not losing much of the chile/onion flavor when you remove most of the solids here.
posted by ethand at 3:47 PM on June 2, 2013
1) Char the peppers (basically, stick them directly into flame) and slide the skins off before seeding/chopping them. I like the smokiness this adds.
2) Smoked paprika's great in this, for similar reasons.
3) I've liked the results of cooking the tomato/pepper/onion/etc mixture for closer to 60-90 mins at low heat, then running it through a food mill (medium disk) before putting it back into the pot with chickpeas. (The SK recipe doesn't include chickpeas, but many others do.) This is usually a pretty rustic dish, but I think it's better without the tomato seeds. The extra cooking time means you're not losing much of the chile/onion flavor when you remove most of the solids here.
posted by ethand at 3:47 PM on June 2, 2013
Both creme brulee and ice cream use lots of eggs! Make some sort of deviled eggs (lobster?) with homemade mayonnaise! And I like the kedgeree from the Two Fat Ladies.
posted by theuninvitedguest at 3:47 PM on June 2, 2013
posted by theuninvitedguest at 3:47 PM on June 2, 2013
Had this for the first time tonight. It was incredibly simple, delicious, and comforting. I added a little spicy bean paste into the broth, and it was divine!
posted by derogatorysphinx at 7:17 PM on June 2, 2013
posted by derogatorysphinx at 7:17 PM on June 2, 2013
I recently tried a Japanese tempura restaurant in my neighborhood that serves a tempura bowl (ten don) with a fried, poached egg that is the best thing ever. Here's a recipe that comes close (I think) to what it's like
posted by estherbester at 9:28 PM on June 2, 2013
posted by estherbester at 9:28 PM on June 2, 2013
Baked eggs!
There's no hard and fast recipe. You need some little ramekins. Put a little bit of butter in the bottom. Then you can layer chopped vegetables (I like spinach, mushrooms, onions and bell pepper, not necessarily all at once), a single egg, a bit of cheese (I favor goat cheese or cheddar) and even a teeny splash of cream if you like. Make sure the egg is not the very top thing - best to have a thin layer of cheese.
Bake the cups in the oven at 350 until they are as done as you desire - shouldn't take more than 15 minutes max. They are incredibly easy to make and delicious.
I'm vegetarian but I'm sure you could put various meats in the dish too.
posted by Cygnet at 3:40 AM on June 3, 2013
There's no hard and fast recipe. You need some little ramekins. Put a little bit of butter in the bottom. Then you can layer chopped vegetables (I like spinach, mushrooms, onions and bell pepper, not necessarily all at once), a single egg, a bit of cheese (I favor goat cheese or cheddar) and even a teeny splash of cream if you like. Make sure the egg is not the very top thing - best to have a thin layer of cheese.
Bake the cups in the oven at 350 until they are as done as you desire - shouldn't take more than 15 minutes max. They are incredibly easy to make and delicious.
I'm vegetarian but I'm sure you could put various meats in the dish too.
posted by Cygnet at 3:40 AM on June 3, 2013
For the eggs Benedict above. I mistakenly mixed up my sauces. It's hollandaise sauce, not bechamel. :)
posted by happysocks at 8:09 AM on June 3, 2013
posted by happysocks at 8:09 AM on June 3, 2013
I am contractually obliged to mention clafouti.
Clafouti!
posted by maudlin at 9:57 AM on June 5, 2013
Clafouti!
posted by maudlin at 9:57 AM on June 5, 2013
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posted by Betelgeuse at 6:13 AM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]