Fresh Eggs

There are so many houses in my neighborhood that I love. Yesterday evening, Clover Meadow and I took a slightly different dog-walk route because we walked our neighbors down the road to their dinner restaurant, and when we turned we were on a street we never get to. On that street was a beautiful little house I'd driven past once a long time ago; I'd tried to find it again but I could never remember where it was. Yesterday evening there it was, on this quiet side-street, newly painted and as charming as ever. As we got closer, I heard the soft clucking — chickens! Clover stopped in her tracks, ears forward: Out of the shade garden wobbled a velvety black hen. In the side yard, a strawberry blonde with scraggly feathers came forward, greeting us with enthusiasm. The night was quiet; we stood still, watching them, enchanted.

But then a guy came out of the back yard, wearing a big straw hat and brandishing a spray bottle of water. He shooed the chickens away from us, toward the backyard, said they were not supposed to be in front. The chickens scattered in a flurry of feet and feathers. Bye-bye chickens. But they had looked so sweet, bobbing through the hostas and maidenhair ferns toward the sidewalk.

We wove up and down the streets for a while longer. The air smelled fresh and green after all the rain we've had this week. As we crossed back to our own street, I saw one of my other neighbors, carrying a carton of eggs. She said her friend kept chickens and had given her some eggs, and she was giving them to me. Serendipity! Thank you! They were brown and that lovely brownish-blue.

I haven't been cooking all that much lately, but I've been meaning to point you toward this food-ish interview I did with Marilyn at Simmer Till Done where I see I talk several times about pizza (but Marilyn's an ex-Chicagoan too, so she understands). Marilyn is so funny — I love the way she writes. This post absolutely slays me. I loved that one.

Now, what should I make with these pretty eggs? Seems like it should be something elegant and special. French toast? Chocolate souffle?

Comments

[Lauren]

The Splendid Table's How to Cook Supper cookbook (Lynn's most recent) has an amazing (it's really hard for me not to use all caps when I write that) recipe for pan fried deviled eggs. I'm serious. You fill the eggs and then give them a light saute' (filling side down) so that the tops are light brown and crispy. If you like deviled eggs (and I understand that there are those who do not), this is a decadent delight.

[Lauren]

The Splendid Table's How to Cook Supper cookbook (Lynn's most recent) has an amazing (it's really hard for me not to use all caps when I write that) recipe for pan fried deviled eggs. I'm serious. You fill the eggs and then give them a light saute' (filling side down) so that the tops are light brown and crispy. If you like deviled eggs (and I understand that there are those who do not), this is a decadent delight.

[Susan Ramey Cleveland]

The eggs are so pretty. A shame to have to crack them.

[Denise S]

If you like fried eggs Alicia you something must have a couple for yourself cooked that way,heaven. I have chickens in my city backyard now for over 2 years. Good luck with them on whatever you decide ;)

[Tara]

Sometimes, Alicia, I think Portland must be a fairy-land, full of magical disappearing houses and serendipitous eggs.
I vote for hard (or soft) boiled eggs. That way you can keep the pretty shells intact just until you eat them!

[Linn]

Oh, they're almost too pretty to eat! If they have to made into something, what about a nice summer vegetable fritatta? I love the pictures. Wish we could find colorful eggs around here. Nobody has chickens in the suburbs, so our eggs are white or brown. Enjoy them!

[Laurel]

I vote for some sort of fantastic ice cream.

[suzanne b.]

I love chickens. I always loved photos of Tasha Tudor with her corgis and her chickens, all mixed up together.

Hey, Alicia, here is my favorite egg-based recipe, in case you are collecting them. :)

This is my standard dish to bring to brunches. I've been making it for about ten years, and it never fails me. I call it "Sunshine Pie" because it seems so California-y to me, but it is actually called "Morning Pie" and comes from The Blair House Bed & Breakfast Inn in Friday Harbor, Washington. Everyone is always surprised when they bite in and find that it's sweet. :) It really has delicious, layered orange flavor. (Make sure that if you use a cookie sheet under your pie dish to catch drips, it is a regular cookie sheet and not one of those air-filled ones designed to keep cookies from burning. Your pie won't cook in the middle if you do, and instead will be yucky runny raw egg.) (I correct my previous statement that it has never failed me. It failed me when I used an air-filled cookie sheet.) If you have a Microplane Zester Grater it's the perfect thing for grating the zest.

2 cups cottage cheese (I've used both regular and low-fat. Both taste good, but regular mixes better.)
3 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. grated orange rind
1 T. orange juice
1/4 t. orange extract
9-inch deep-dish pie shell, thawed if frozen

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat cottage cheese with an electric mixer on high speed for 1 minute. Add eggs, sugar, flour, orange rind, orange juice, and orange extract; blend well. Pour into pie shell and bake for 50 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Refrigerate overnight; serve chilled the next morning.

Six servings.

ps I love the photos of your pretty eggs!

[suzanne b.]

ps By "all mixed up together," I meant that the corgis cohabitated peacefully with the chickens. And they were all the same height! :D

[gaile]

oh they are lovely! I hope I meet such neighbors when we move to portland next weekend (!!!). I think those eggs would be gorgeous tomorrow morning, perfectly poached, and served over a bed of fresh baby greens, some heirloom tomatoes, and maybe a few perfectly ripe blueberries, all dressed with a simple vinaigrette. With some yummy sourdough toast to sop up the remnants, of course.

[Tanya]

My vote would be french toast made with raisin bread ~~ mmmmm, that may just have to be breakfast for me tomorrow morning.

Beautiful pics!

[Selena]

I'd keep it simple and eggy and make a gorgeous bacon, avocado and green onion omelet. There is nothing like the taste of fresh farm eggs. The taste is incredible and the color dark yellow and full of flavor.

[Rachel]

Oh, they are so beautiful. And I love how bright the yolks are in fresh, home grown (raised?) eggs.
I would vote for something super simple that shows them off, like an omelet.

[Leanne]

i think serendipity should be your middle name......

[Christy]

we have backyard chickens (still to young for eggs..)and really enjoy them. My favorite thing to do with fresh eggs is to make a cheese omelett with light cheese some fresh parsly and green onions...simple flavors that don't over run the egg. If you are not aware (and I would assume you are, as you seem to be an informed foodie ;) )fresh eggs do not hard or soft boil well as the membrane is still to thick to seperate the shell from the egg when boiled. You end up with thrashed hard boiled eggs that are in pieces, not at all appealing.

All the same, lovely neighbors to share with you...enjoy! Happy weekend...

[martha in mobile]

Hardboiled yard eggs are very, very good, if you can hold off for a week. On "mom brings snack to school day" my daughter asks for hardboiled eggs from our yard chickens and homemade bread. Surprisingly, her classmates prefer this snack to cupcakes.

[Rachel]

chocolate mousse, creme brulee, popovers, german pancakes - All good foods that would taste great with fresh eggs.

[jessica]

Those eggs are almost too pretty to eat! I love to make french toast with my pretty eggs form a man just like the one you got your eggs from!

[Kim]

I'll take a fried egg sandwich with a slice of cheese and fresh tomatoes! Great, yummy pictures.

[stephanie s]

clafouti!
and all those other things above too.

[heather]

whatever you do, save a couple to eat on their own. though i'm not a tremendous fan of eggs-as-eggs, our neighbors raise chickens and the eggs are incredible. they make the most incredible breakfast. (also, hollandaise with truly fresh egg yolks is out of this world!)

[Natalie]

Pretty, pretty eggs. They look as though they were specially painted to look lovely in your beautiful blog.

[Bobbie Lynn]

They are so pretty. A nice frittata along with a green salad. But French toast sound pretty good also.

[Teresa Sheeley]

Speaking of pizza, and Cannon Beach, what do you think of Fultano's there at Cannon Beach? I had a slice just recently and thouht I died and gone to heaven, I wanted the whole pie maybe two, I didn't want to stop eating it, it was greasy and fantastico!!

:)
Teresa
xo

[Cathy Santarsiero]

I went to read her pie post, very funny. Yes, getting your eggs was serendipitously (triple letter, double word score?)wonderful. I've got two chickens we refer to as 'the girls'....Abigail and Josephine. They are almost 5 months old. I hope they will start laying eggs soon. I love the soft little bwak bwak cluck clucks they make too. Have a lovely weekend. Make a quiche! Cat ^..^