I’ve come up with 10 ways to use eggs in your spring pantry:
1. Curd
I love lemon curd in the early spring, when there is precious little fruit in the cupboard. Curd, which is a custard, can be used as a condiment spread over toast, drop scones, or pound cake. It is also a lovely layer in tarts and cake filling. In Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook there is a recipe for grapefruit curd, which I think could be amazing with the addition of elderflower flavor.
2. Olive Oil Cake
Instead of the old standby pound cake, why not try an olive oil cake? Here’s how the Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual describes olive oil cake, “Our olive oil cake works after a meal and is great for breakfast, but it’s also ideal 3p.m. pastry- not too sweet, not too heavy, great with a good espresso.” I personally am a huge fan of olive oil cake, and would love to slather a bit of lemon curd over it.
3. Soufflé
The soufflé lends itself readily to pantry cooking. In French Food at Home, Laura Calder devotes 4 pages to the soufflé. She gives a base recipe and encourages the reader to use whatever ingredients are on hand to flavor the soufflé. Everything from pureed vegetables to canned fish or crab to last night’s leftovers can be incorporated. Maybe a simple cheese soufflé? These are savory flavors, but for a sweet spring soufflé you could use strawberries, lemon, or chocolate.
4. Egg Salad
Canal House Volume 4, by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, shares a beautifully photographed recipe for “Anytime Egg Salad”. Melissa and Christopher make a chopped egg salad with mayo, Dijon mustard, and chopped fresh herbs. They suggest serving it over dark rye bread. Simple, tasty, and perfect for a spring lunch.
5. Soup
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s book, River Cottage, contains a recipe for “Watercress Soup with Poached Egg”, which is everything I could want in springtime: the comfort of soup, nourishment of wild spring greens, bite of garlic, and a delicate poached egg.
6. Get fancy with a sauce
In his book, Eggs, Michel Roux suggests a couple of recipes to serve sauce over your eggs. I love the idea of his mustard hollandaise over fried egg for a special weekend breakfast. How about his baked eggs with parsley beurre blanc for supper one night with a beautiful salad and a glass of bubbly?
7. Crêpes
Spring is a lovely time for the delicate, paper-thin pancake. This egg based batter can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, if you like. At my house we serve them with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of sugar, but you could come up with all sorts of toppings. Strawberries and cream would be lovely. Or you could go savory- goat cheese and greens are a nice combination.
8. Fresh Pasta
Handmade pappardelle is heaven with a crumbly goat cheese and spring asparagus, peas, and mint. If you have flour and eggs you’re only minutes away from supper. Drizzle the pasta with a citrusy extra virgin olive oil.
9. Aioli
Aioli is a mayonnaise made by blending garlic, egg yolks, and extra-virgin olive oil in a mortar and pestle. Serve it with artichokes or as part of a spring crudité platter. I encourage you to try making it just once. You may never eat bottled mayo again.
10. Brioche
I go mad for brioche, a bread enriched with eggs, milk, and butter. Bake it in a loaf pan and brioche is straightforward and uncomplicated to make- lovely for a lazy Sunday morning breakfast. I can easily scarf down a loaf with not even a slathering of butter, but day old Brioche also makes fantastic french toast.
What is your favorite way to enjoy eggs?