Excellent Eggs
Wonderful recipes and tips centered around one of nature’s simple treasures.

Easter Eggs

In honor of the Easter holiday, we chose to focus this month’s class on "the incredible edible egg". Not only do they provide loads of entertainment for your kids and grandchildren during the Easter holiday, but they can also present you and your family with delicious meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert), not to mention noteworthy nutritional value.

Nutritional information

A single egg white provides about 17 calories. It is made up mostly of water (almost 90 percent) with the remaining percentage being mostly protein. The yolk (weighing about 1/2 ounce), provides about 60 calories along with fat, cholesterol, vitamins, minerals, protein and lecithin. The following table breaks out the nutritional details:

1 egg contains:

Essential Equipment

There are some basic tools you may find useful when cooking eggs. Should you find that you are missing something please visit the Glutenfreeda shopping mall. You will find all the items available through our affiliate Cooking.com.

Omelet pan:

Most recommended is a heavy-gauge omelet pan, used solely for omelets and never washed, simply rubbed with a soft clean towel and a handful of salt. For a 2-egg omelet, a pan with a 6-8 inch diameter is best, whereas an 8-9 inch pan works best for a 3-5 egg omelet.

Non-stick skillet:

Works well for cooking all types of eggs, and allows you to reduce the amount of cooking fat.

Spatula

Slotted Spoon

Whisk

Small Prep Bowls

Handling & Storage:

The quality of an egg really depends on the freshness. Typically eggs will last in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 weeks from the date they are packed. Eggs will age very quickly at room temperature, so it is best to keep them stored in their carton in the refrigerator. Try to not store them in the door of the refrigerator, as the temperature varies as the door opens and closes. Raw egg whites will keep up to 4 days covered and in the refrigerator. Yolks need to be covered with water or they will harden. Stored this way they will last for only 1-2 days. Hard-boiled eggs in the shell will hold for up to 2 weeks. Any raw egg whose shell is cracked should be discarded since you do not know when the crack occurred and the egg may now contain harmful bacteria.

Separating Eggs:

Some recipes require only egg whites or only egg yolks. It is quite simple to separate these two parts either with the use of an egg separator (a device with horizontal slits around the sides which allow the whites to flow through while retaining the yolk), or with just the aid of the egg’s own shell. For this method have two bowls ready. Tap the egg lightly on the edge of a bowl to get an even crosswise break. Pull apart the edges until the egg is divided into two halves. Holding the egg over a bowl, pour the egg yolk from one half to another. The egg white will flow into the bowl below and eventually you will be left with only the egg yolk in one half shell. Place the egg yolk in the other bowl and repeat procedure until you have enough for your recipe.

Egg Substitutes:

Egg replacement products are usually 98 to 99 percent egg white and therefore lack the yolk-rich taste of a whole egg. When cooking egg substitutes, cook them gently so they don’t dry out and add seasonings (fresh herbs or hot sauce are usually nice additions) to add flavor. You can make your own egg substitute with the following recipe:

Egg substitute (for reducing cholesterol and fat intake):

12 egg whites

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon salt.

Directions:

Gently whisk together all ingredients. About 1/3 cup of this mixture is the equivalent of one whole egg.

Cooking Eggs:

The key to cooking eggs successfully is to avoid overcooking. When eggs are heated, the proteins bond with one another. High temperatures cause the proteins to fuse into a hard mass. Such is the case with fried, poached, and hard-boiled eggs. At low temperatures, the proteins remain loose allowing the egg to set while remaining moist and tender.

Soft Boiled Eggs:

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water by at least one inch. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of salt. Bring the water to a simmer. Start timing, allowing 4-1/2 minutes for jumbo eggs, 4 minutes for large eggs, and 3-1/2 for small and medium eggs. Serve immediately.

Hard Boiled Eggs:

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water by at least one inch. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of salt. Bring the water to a simmer. Start timing, allowing 15 minutes for jumbo eggs, 14 minutes for large eggs, and 12 minutes for small and medium eggs. After they have cooked for the proper time, plunge the eggs into cold water to arrest the cooking. Store in the refrigerator in the shell for up to 2 weeks. If you forget which eggs have been hard boiled and which ones are fresh, spin the egg on a countertop — the raw egg will wobble as the yolk splashes around on the inside, whereas the hard boiled egg will spin evenly like a top.

Poached Eggs:

Add enough water to a large pan to accommodate 4 inches of water. Add 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar and 1/2 tablespoon of salt per quart of water. Bring the water to just under a boil — there should be small bubbles on the bottom of the pan, which will prevent the eggs from sticking. Crack a cold egg straight from the refrigerator into a small bowl or ramekin. This will give you more control when adding it to the water and you’ll also know that your yolks were whole going in. Bring the dish as close to the water as possible and gently pour in the egg all at once. Test for doneness at 4 minutes. Gently press where the yolk and the white meet — the yolk should be soft and the white should be set. Using a slotted spoon, trim the whites by pressing the edge of the spoon against the side of the pan. Gently blot the egg dry with a folded paper towel to prevent the egg or whatever you are putting it on from being soggy and diluting the flavor of the egg. Although there are many ways to serve poached eggs, probably the most common is Eggs Benedict.

Omelets:

See this month’s recipe for Omelet’s for complete instructions on how to make the perfect omelet. The success will depend on the fat being hot enough so that the exterior of the omelet will set immediately, but not so hot to toughen it before the rest of the egg cooks. At the proper temperature, your omelet should take no longer than 1-1/2 minutes for a 2-egg omelet. Have all your fillings prepped before you begin, so as not to disturb your rhythm and make you overcook your omelet.

Quiche:

A quiche is basically a savory custard prepared by gradually cooking the egg proteins to form a silky-smooth, tender egg dish. Typically a quiche contains small bits of meat, vegetables and/or cheese and is baked inside a flaky pie crust. You can also prepare quiche without the crust, which is a much easier thing to do for the gluten-intolerant. Please visit our recipe for Bacon and Leek Quiche for a delicious alternative to the traditional quiche served within a crust. If you prefer quiche with a crust, we like The Gluten-free Pantry’s Perfect Pie Crust (www.glutenfree.com) — it consistently delivers a light and flaky crust. Just follow package directions and bake the crust prior to filling for 25 minutes at 375 degrees F. Let cool before adding filling.

Frittatas:

A frittata is the Italian version of an omelet. They are cooked in a heavy skillet over low heat until firm, then left open-faced and finished in the oven. Serve the frittata in wedges hot, warm or at room temperature. They can be served as a delightful breakfast, brunch or appetizer. This month we feature a delicious Asparagus, Potato & Gruyere Frittata and a simple Shrimp and Bacon Frittata appetizer.

A Pleasant Discovery from Glutenfreeda Regarding Eggs:

We’ve added this recipe for Angel Food Cake to our cooking class on eggs because it calls for a complete dozen eggs. Eggs are the reason this cake rises to a perfect height.

I must admit, when we decided to test this angel food cake using gluten-free flour, I had my doubts as to the success of the outcome. Typically, gluten-free flour performs best with heavier, denser cakes or breads. The light, airiness of an angel food cake seemed quite a challenge and I suspected our results would be a shorter, heavier cake without the lovely sponginess of true angel food.

So, with all the optimism we could muster, we took the challenge. The result? A heavenly, light airy angel food cake that rose to a perfect height. An angel food cake to rival any gluten version! Now that you know it can be done, here are the key elements to ensure your success.

1. Follow the recipe exactly. You may be tempted to use another gluten-free flour or mixture, but be advised that not all gf flours behave the same. We used the Gluten Free Pantry’s Country French Bread Flour mix as a straight substitution for flour. This particular flour mix performs closer to wheat flour than any other we have tested.

If you can’t find the Gluten Free Pantry’s mix in your local grocery store, you can purchase it on-line at www.glutenfree.com. (We are not affiliated with the Gluten Free Pantry, we just like their product.)

2. Equally important are the 12 egg whites. This is the magic ingredient that will lift your cake into a light, spongy delightful dessert. Be sure the egg whites are cold to start and that you ‘fold’ the eggs in with the flour gently. Do not mix.

This cake will pass any, "You’re kidding, this is gluten-free?" test. Serve it to family or friends proudly.

During this Easter holiday and throughout the month of April, experiment with some of these delicious egg recipes. Most are quite easy and quick to prepare.

To conclude we would like to offer some tips on creating those beautiful Easter eggs. Remember that these are to be viewed mostly as works of art, rather than food. They often will sit at room temperature for long periods, thereby risking bacterial contamination. Here is a simple recipe for creating dyes for your eggs this year:

Dyed Easter Eggs:

Prepare hard-boiled white eggs as described above. Cool, wash and dry. (Note: Make several batches for different colors.) Bring enough water to cover the eggs to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar for each cup of water and several drops of food coloring, depending on the intensity of the color you are wishing to create. Pour the colored water over the eggs and let the eggs sit as the water cools. The longer they sit, the more intense the color. Remove the eggs from the dye and let them air dry. Once dry, rub the shells with vegetable oil to give them a pretty luster.

Should you want to preserve your art for years to come, begin by emptying the shells of the egg contents. Using a large needle punch a hole through each end of the raw egg. Stick the needle all the way into the center to break the yolk membrane. Blow hard into one hole to push the egg out the other end. Once completely empty, carefully wash and dry, then follow directions above, omitting the vegetable oil.

Happy Easter!

"The All New All Purpose Joy of Cooking", Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker, Copyright 1997.

You may purchase the Joy of Cooking on Amazon.com . It is a wonderful cookbook, with an abundance of information. It even has a few gluten-free recipes!