Darina Allen: How to make perfect poached eggs on toast and other Easter egg recipes
What can be more adorable on Easter Sunday morning, than the joy and excitement on the childrens faces when they see the newborn chicks in the Palais des Poulets here on the farm If our hens dont get broody, Eileen and John take matters into their own hands. A dozen or so eggs go into the incubator in the potting shedtwenty one days later, the chicks start to hatch out, pecking through the shells with their little beaks yet another miracle of nature. Within a few hours, they are all fluffed up and cheeping, ready to tuck into a little fine oatmeal or chick mash.
Within 18-22 weeks the females are crowing with pride having laid their first egg. These smaller, initial attempts are referred to as pullets eggs the term given to a chicken before it officially becomes a hen. As I cook, I can scarcely imagine life without eggs or hens for that matter.
Ever since I was a child, weve always had hens, they gratefully gobble up the food scraps and reward us with beautiful fresh eggs a few days later. The hen manure goes onto the compost and eventually back into the garden to enrich the soil making it more fertile to grow even more nutritious vegetables. Whats not to love about that virtuous cycle.
Recently, the price of eggs has gone up for several reasons, not least because the price of organic and non-organic grain has increased since the Ukraine war. Because of bird flu, we have been instructed to keep our flock indoors since mid-September (2022) and it looks like they wont be released until maybe the end of April.
Just like all of us during lockdown, our hens hate being cooped up indoors and long to be able to roam freely through the grass and scratch for grubs and insects. They are altogether happier and healthier when they can wander around naturally outdoors not to speak of laying more delicious nutrient dense eggs.
Boiled eggs and soldiers are one of my favourite kitchen suppers. Friends love to join me, for many, its a trip down memory lane from when we were children, dipping little fingers of toast into the runny yolk.
Freshly Boiled Eggs with Asparagus and Soldiers
recipe by:
Darina Allen
Mothers all over the country cut up fingers of toast for children to dip into soft-boiled eggs. In our family we call them dippies. A trip down memory lane
Servings
salt and freshly ground pepper
a few pats of butter
1 slice of fresh best quality white loaf bread
6-8 spears of fresh Irish asparagus
ingredients (one per line)
Method
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil, gently slide in the eggs, bring the water back to the boil and simmer gently for 4-6 minutes, according to your taste. A four minute egg will be still quite soft, five minutes will almost set the white while the yolk will still be runny, 6 minutes will produce a boiled egg with a soft yolk and solid white.
Meanwhile toast the bread, cut off the crusts and spread with butter. Cut in fingers. Immediately the eggs are cooked, pop them into egg cups, put the dippies and asparagus on the side and serve with a pepper mill, sea salt and a few pats of butter.
To prepare and cook the asparagus: Hold each spear of asparagus over your index finger down near the root end, it will snap at the point where it begins to get tough. Some people like to peel the asparagus, but we rarely do.
To boil, tie similar sized bundles of asparagus in bundles with raffia. Choose a tall saucepan.
Cook in about 2.5cm (1 inch) of boiling salted water (1 teaspoon salt to every 600ml/1 pint) in an oval cast iron casserole. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes or until a knife tip will pierce the root end easily. Drain and serve immediately. If serving cold, refresh in cold water and drain again.
For a posher version for Easter, look out for a few spears of new-season asparagus. West Cork has some of the first asparagus of the season so if youre in that area, get to the Skibbereen Farmers Market early on Saturday morning and it tends to sell out.
For perfectly poached eggs, there is no need for any fancy gadget. Just pop a freshly laid egg, into barely salted simmering water and it will plump up deliciously unlike a stale egg that will splinter and spread all over the saucepan.
Perfect Poached Eggs on Toast
recipe by:
Darina Allen
No fancy egg poachers or moulds are needed to produce a perfect result simply use a really fresh egg laid by a happy, lazy duck or hen.
Servings
toast, freshly made from a slice of pan loaf
Method
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Reduce the heat, swirl the water, crack the egg into a tiny bowl or a cup, and slip the egg gently into the whirlpool in the centre. This avoids getting the tips of your fingers burned as you drop the egg into the water. The water should not boil again but bubble very gently just below boiling point. Cook for about 34 minutes, until the white is set, and the yolk is still soft and runny.
Meanwhile, make a slice of toast. Cut off the crusts, butter the toast and pop it onto a hot plate. Lift out the poached egg or eggs on a perforated spoon; drain and place on top of the toast. Serve immediately.
Or you can poach the eggs ahead of time and then reheat them briefly in boiling water. Just cook them for a minute less than usual, and then slip them into a bowl of cold water to stop them from cooking further.
To reheat the poached eggs, bring a saucepan of water to the boil, draw off the heat and slip the egg back into the water for a minute or two until hot through.
Really good eggs add magic to cakes, the yolks add richness and the whipped egg whites, contribute lightness and a tenderness to the texture but surprise, surprise, the quality really matters.
Were loving our new Easter egg cake to add to the traditional Pasque afternoon tea. A lighter cake than the traditional simnel cake. The kids would love to help and they really enjoy making the Easter egg nests and arranging the fluffy chicks on top.
Easter Egg Nests
Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 12:00 am