A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (44 page)

Submerge the eggs in cold water. Fresh eggs will lay flat on the bottom of the bowl. Staler eggs will tilt slightly at the broad end, becoming more vertical as they age. An egg that floats is bad. Be careful about relying absolutely on this
test – eggs with hairline cracks can perform differently and incubation may have begun in fertile eggs.

You can also assess freshness by breaking the egg on to a plate. It should have a firm, plump yolk sitting up on a pool of thick, gelatinous albumen, with the thinner white surrounding it. The chalazae will be visible in a very fresh egg and the albumen may be cloudy if the egg has just been laid. An older egg will have only thin, spreading white and a flat yolk.

A fresh egg will sink to the bottom of a glass of cold water

Like many foods, eggs have been in and out of fashion. The advertising slogan ‘Go to Work on an Egg’ suggested that an eggy breakfast was the ideal start to the day. Then there was the salmonella scare, as well as advice to eat no more than two eggs a week due to their cholesterol content. Research has now shown that foods containing cholesterol don’t affect blood cholesterol levels as much as previously believed and that saturated fats are the main culprits.

Moderation in all things is probably the best principle but eggs pack protein, vitamins and minerals into their shells, and a medium egg is less than seventy calories.

An egg that floats is bad

Most people have their favourite methods for preparing basic egg dishes but the following hints and ideas may be useful.

A fresh free-range egg

Eggs straight from the fridge can crack if plunged into simmering water – make a tiny hole at the rounded end to prevent this (egg-piercing gadgets make the operation easier, but you could also use a clean pin).

Hard-boiled eggs are easier to peel if they are about a week old. Boil eggs for pickling thoroughly, but a slightly yielding yolk, still warm, makes a lovely sandwich. Plunging the eggs into cold water avoids a grey ring around the yolk. Unshelled hard-boiled eggs will keep in the fridge for a week or so.

Halved hard-boiled eggs can be covered with cheese sauce and browned under the grill for an easy supper dish (a layer of puréed spinach under the eggs is a good addition).

For poaching in a pan of simmering water, the eggs must be really fresh or the whites will disintegrate into strings.

Whisk eggs well, melt a lump of butter in a small pan and cook slowly, stirring all the time. This is a good way of using bantam eggs.

Don’t restrict fried eggs to accompanying bacon. Butter some good bread and enjoy a messy but delicious sandwich! Two small eggs are easier to cope with than one large one.

For me, one of the best omelette fillings is sorrel, which can easily be grown in the garden (as long as the chickens don’t find it). Shred a few leaves and melt them in butter with a sprinkle of salt, adding them to the omelette when it is nearly set. Sorrel is rather like spinach, with a sharp, lemony flavour that complements eggs perfectly.

Try these little Scotch pancakes for a change. They can be eaten with a variety of accompaniments – butter, sugar, lemon, cheese, bacon, syrup, etc. Use 100 g of self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, one egg and 150 ml of milk to make a batter that isn’t too liquid. Add spoonfuls to a medium hot pan that you’ve greased with very little butter or oil. When bubbles appear on the surface, turn the pancakes over and cook for another minute or two.

Pancakes can be made in advance and frozen.

This is a favourite dish of mine – easy, quick and delicious.

For two people use a 100 g pack of pancetta, cut into thin strips and fried in butter. Beat two eggs with a little salt and pepper (add a spoonful of cream or an extra egg yolk to make it richer). Boil spaghetti or tagliatelle, drain it (not too thoroughly), return it to the saucepan and stir in the pancetta. Mix in the eggs, letting them just start to thicken. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan.

Picture yourself at the garden table with chickens clucking around your feet. Friends chat and sip wine, while you create homemade mayonnaise before their astonished eyes. Because it’s made with fresh eggs, the mayonnaise will be golden rather than white – but it shouldn’t be given to young children, the elderly or anyone else who is advised not to eat raw eggs.

Stir two egg yolks in a bowl with a pinch of salt (standing the bowl on a damp cloth stops it sliding around). Measure 150 ml of light olive oil into a jug. Stir just one drop of oil into the yolks. Then stir in another drop. Carry on like this, and don’t hurry the process or it will separate (if this happens, start again with a fresh yolk, adding the curdled mixture to it one drop at a time).

When about half the oil has been added, the mixture will have thickened. Add a few drops of lemon juice or wine vinegar. The remaining oil can now be added in a very slow trickle – keep stirring. Finally, taste for seasoning and add a little more lemon juice or vinegar.

Note: You can use other oils if preferred (extra-virgin olive oil gives a very strong flavour). A little mustard or a couple of cloves of garlic crushed into a paste can be added to the egg yolks.

If you’ve made mayonnaise, there will be egg-whites to spare – or if you make meringues, you can use the yolks for mayonnaise. A sauce and dessert from two eggs!

Make sure the whisk and bowl (don’t use a plastic one) are clean and grease free.

Separate the eggs carefully – the whites won’t whisk properly if there’s the slightest trace of yolk.

Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F/Gas 2). Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.

For two egg whites measure out 110 g caster sugar. Whisk the whites until they are stiff enough not to slide about the bowl when it’s tipped – don’t overwhisk, or they will collapse. Then whisk in the caster sugar, one spoonful at a time, until the mixture is stiff and shiny.

Fold in a few drops of lemon juice – this helps stabilize the mixture, but isn’t essential. Pipe shapes or put spoonfuls of the mixture on to the baking sheet.

Put the meringues in the oven, reduce the heat to 140°C (275°F/Gas 1) and bake for one hour. Then turn off the heat and leave for several hours, until the oven is completely cold.

Peel off the baking paper and store the meringues in an airtight container. Meringues can also be frozen.

Proper custard is made with egg-yolks and milk or cream. Heat 300 ml of cream until nearly boiling. Beat three yolks with a tablespoon of caster sugar and stir in the hot cream. Rinse out the saucepan, add the mixture and heat very slowly until it thickens, stirring all the time. This takes a while – cook it too fast and you’ll have scrambled eggs! A teaspoon of cornflour beaten into the egg-yolks helps prevent this and speeds up the process too.

Custard is usually flavoured with vanilla – use vanilla sugar, infuse the milk with a vanilla pod or add a couple of drops of vanilla essence to the egg-yolks.

This custard is also the basis for the richest and creamiest ice-creams. Whipped cream is added when the mixture has cooled, and other ingredients can be incorporated to give different flavours and textures. This is a dinner party luxury, rather than something to dish out in cornets on a hot day.

Eggshells have many uses:

Crushed shells can be added to your compost heap or sprinkled around plants to protect them from slugs – I haven’t found this particularly successful but perhaps we just have tough slugs.

Shells can also be used to grow seedlings. Make a few holes in the bottom of a shell, fill it with potting compost and press in a seed. Stand the shells in egg-boxes to keep them stable. Plant the seedlings in their eggshells – crush the shells slightly first. This saves disturbing the delicate roots and the shells provide nutrients to the growing plants.

You can also grow cress in eggshells. Thoroughly wet a ball of cotton wool, put it in the shell and add some seeds. Stand the shell in an eggcup.

Eggshells can be used to grow seedlings

Even cooled water from boiling eggs is useful – use it for watering plants.

Add crushed eggshells to soapy water when cleaning awkward items like tall vases – leave to soak overnight to remove stains. Eggshells can also be used as a natural abrasive for scouring pans or kept in the sink strainer to trap solids – they will then clean the pipes as they disintegrate down the drain.

Add a crushed eggshell to your coffee-maker to reduce bitterness in coffee.

Blow out the contents of the egg and decorate the shell (wash it first). Some poultry shows have classes for decorated eggs. Crushed shells can be made into mosaics.

The shell membrane has anti-microbial properties that are believed to help clear-up cuts, spots, blisters and burns, as well as drawing out splinters. Peel the membrane from the shell (not easy) and apply it wet side down.

Key Points