This article in the Guardian popped out at me just now. I have high regard for eggs. They are one of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen, indispensable in a lot of baking, and alchemical in most meals. Only please don’t hard boil them. Or solely for the fun of removing the shells or painting for Easter.
I’ve made mayonnaise from scratch, cooked creme brulee (though I can’t equal my mum’s efforts) a handful of times. I make hollandaise sauce, and I scramble eggs to the delight of my husband. I love a Spanish tortilla for supper, with red peppers, onions, and potatoes. Most of all, I’m quite partial to a fried egg sandwich for breakfast; leaving the yolk till last whilst ensuring you have just enough bread to soak up any that threatens to spill onto the plate is a fine art. I dream of having chickens one day and I’m intensely jealous of my brother who is hoping to get some this summer.
There has been too much Nigella on this blog so far, I concede, but I’m going to celebrate eggs this weekend, by making her Gateau Breton. As far as I can tell, Gateau Breton is a slightly eggier version of a Pound Cake, which contains only eggs, sugar, butter, and flour, in equal quantities. I’ve made the Nigella version before, and its delicious, but it must be six or seven years since I have had it. We bought some fresh, handmade butter from a farm shop at the weekend. What better way to enjoy the unadulterated taste of good ingredients than by using few of them, and using them simply? I’ll let you know how it goes.
