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Let a sunny egg yolk brighten up your mealtimes
Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods, so here are two great ways to cook them, writes Clare Latimer
EVER since I started keeping chickens in London I have become much more fussy about the colour, texture and flavour of an egg.
My chickens lay blue eggs but when they stopped laying in the autumn I noticed Clarence Court eggs in Waitrose and Tesco.
They are suberb blue, green and dark brown eggs with the most amazing golden yolks. Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods and these are just perfect.
The business is run by small family farms in Cornwall with health and welfare being paramount.
The chickens are free range in woodlands, fed a vegetarian diet with sun-drenched maize corn and they are vacinated against salmonella.
The eggs are slightly more pricey than others but their popularity has shown yet again that when farming is good then people will pay more.
Here are two of their recipes which I have slightly simplified.
Tunisian Brik
This Simple Tunisian dish is great for breakfast or as a simple light snack or starter.
You can use traditional warkha pastry leaves, although filo is probably more common in shops and supermarkets or use the thin pastry leaves found in Turkish and middle eastern shops.
They all work well and are made and turn out in a similar way.
Any of the Clarence Court range of eggs (hen or duck ) can be used for this dish, or try making miniature ones with quails eggs.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Four sheets filo, or whatever;
Four duck eggs, or whatever;
Salt and freshly ground black pepper;
Two-three tbsp olive oil.
Method
Heat some olive oil in a large, preferably non-stick, frying pan.
Crack each egg into a cup without breaking the yolk.
Lay a sheet of pastry into the pan then quickly tip the egg into the centre, season and fold the pastry over into a triangle.
Cook for a minute or so on each side, or until the pastry is crisp but the egg yolk is still soft.
Carefully remove with a spatula and serve immediately.
Custard Tarts
They added saffron into this recipe, a good Cornish ingredient, but as they egg yolks are so golden yellow I think it is unnecesary.
If you have some in your cupboard then you could always add a pinch for fun.
Ingredients
Serves 4
275g puff pastry;
500ml single cream;
Eight egg yolks;
80g caster sugar;
Three tsp cornflour.
Method
Roll the pastry out on a floured board to about a quarter of a centimetre thick and then cut out into 4x14cm circles, perhaps using a plate and as template.
Lay the circles into individual 9x2cm deep tart tins, pushing well into the cups.
Prick well with a fork and then line with foil or greaseproof paper and add baking beans. Chill for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C 375°F Gas Mark 5.
Bake the tart cases for 10-15 minutes or until they begin to colour, then remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes.
Meanwhile put the cream into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat. In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together, then pour the cream on to the egg mixture and mix well with a whisk.
Return to the pan and cook gently over a low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens.
Don’t let it boil. Remove from the heat, give it a mix with a whisk and pour into the tart cases, then bake for 10-12 minutes until set.
Leave to cool and remove from the moulds by loosening with a small knife. Serve warm or cold.
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