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April 10, 2009
Island Cooking: For some islanders, the Easter
eggs are coming from the backyard
By LYNNE FOSTER
I am not getting much done this morning. The view from my study is too interesting.
A great white heron is fishing along the edge of the old marshy borrow
pit that we call a pond. It is an elegant stalker, with movements
so slow and so subtle they can barely be recorded by my eyes. One
moment it is still as a marble statue, and then it suddenly and swiftly
lunges toward the water and grasps a small mullet in its long beak.
There is a variety of small migrating song birds in search of
breakfast, bobbing along the greening grass and flitting among the
gray-brown branches with their leaf buds just emerging and the still
bare vines. They are a busy lot and they are frustrated by the
big chicken pen on the other side of the narrow, wild hedgerow that
separates our backyard from the O’Neal’s.
For inside the wire cage, Mr. Eph’s and Miss Daisy’s plump
brown hens are pecking away on a catered meal that the birds cannot
reach. The little birds hop on top of the pen and along the sides
looking for a way in -- a pair of brown and crimson cardinals, the most
aggressive.
The cage protects the chickens from raccoons and other marauding
critters that are actually more interested in them than their food.
A hawk has descended, soaring in wide, low circles over the pen, before
lighting on the top of the hedge where he seems to be
strategizing. Every few minutes he leaves his perch and walks
around the pen and then returns to his vantage point.
He, too, after some time, was finally frustrated. The chickens will
remain safe and well fed, and Mr. Eph and Miss Daisy will have fresh
eggs again today -- exquisite fresh eggs with shells naturally
pastel-tinted in time for Easter.
The chickens are multi tasking chickens for, in addition to providing
fresh eggs and occasionally meat for the family (I recall one
incessantly boisterous rooster who ended up in the stewing pot.), they
also have their chores. The pen is located next to the fenced kitchen
garden, and the chickens are let in to clear weeds and insects and to
fertilize the garden.
Backyard chicken coops are cropping up all over the islands as more and
more people are turning to greater self-sufficiency and to healthier
eating choices.
Todd and Mary Ellon Ballance represent the epitome of island independence in that regard.
When Hurricane Isabel wreaked havoc on the island, particularly
Hatteras village where they live, they were determined to become
self-sufficient. They have achieved that ideal with their
backyard farm and Todd’s fishing skills and a wood-burning stove
stoked by the generosity of friends and neighbors who call when they
have a tree down.
Their menagerie includes three turkeys and a large flock of four
different breeds of beautiful chickens, including some one-month old
chicks of yet another variety. The garden is producing purple
potatoes and will soon be planted for summer and fall harvesting.
Their flock also tends the garden.
Their hens are all layers and keep the family well supplied with fresh
eggs every day. In fact, they always have enough to share.
Todd has also helped others get started with their backyard chicken and
egg production by hatching and raising chicks for them until they are
ready to ”fly the coop.”
The hens are registered and their eggs can be sold in supermarkets if
they choose to do so. Dee Callahan gets the eggs for the Marlin
Club from them and many of us have enjoyed their bounty. In fact,
the eggs photographed and used in recipes in this column come from the
Ballance’s chickens.
There is a marked difference between the store-bought, agra-biz eggs
that most of us are used to and those produced by the backyard biddies.
Fresh eggs have a really rich flavor and color that they impart to any
dish made with them. The lovely shells are less fragile than they
appear and are, in fact, stronger than supermarket eggs. The
yolks are so golden they are really orange.
The
chickens’ diets are healthier and they are more active. Their
eggs contain lower levels of cholesterol so they are healthier for us
too.
I wanted to use the fresh eggs in dishes where their flavor and
appearance would shine. The first thing I did was crack and then
separately scramble two eggs, one of each kind, and the difference was
immediately obvious.
The local egg was a beautiful golden color, and Ernie, my taste tester,
responded on the first bite, “This has taste!” He ate them
plain, cooked in a dab of sweet Irish butter from Lee Robinson General
Store with just a bit of sea salt and fresh black pepper so we could
judge the pure flavor of the eggs.
Since it is spring and my dill is up, I garnished the plate with fresh
dill. Their flavors complement each other so well and the colors
are so vivid and spring like.
Next I whipped up a cheese soufflé using a foolproof recipe from
a little stained and marked book I use so often that I keep it on the
island in the kitchen, “The Best of France” by Evie
Righter. It contains perfect classic French recipes and
techniques that make it an excellent reference.
Again, the color jumped out as I mixed the base, and the finished
soufflé was richer than any I had ever made. The fine
imported cheeses helped make it a masterful combination of very simple
ingredients and a supper worthy of anyone who enjoys good food.
SOUFFLE AU FROMAGE
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour (I use King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour.)
1cup whole milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
5 egg whites
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter a 4-cup soufflé dish
and fit it with a buttered wax paper collar extending 3 inches above
the rim.
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, add the flour and
cook, whisking, for 3 minutes. Add the milk, mustard, nutmeg and
salt and pepper and simmer, whisking occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Gruyere and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they
hold stiff peaks. Stir 1/4 of them into the yolk mixture.
Gently fold in the remaining whites.
Pour into the soufflé dish and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
Place the soufflé dish in the lower third of the oven and reduce
the heat to 375 degrees. Bake for 25-30minutes or until puffed
and golden brown. Remove the collar and serve at once.
I served the soufflé with a salad of young spinach leaves and
arugula (also up in my garden now) with sliced mushrooms and a mustardy
vinaigrette that held its own with the simple yet opulent
soufflé. The leftovers make for a fine breakfast and are
equally good reheated or cold.
The hard crabs are coming in now so you can make your soufflé
with crabmeat or add some to your salad for a seasonal treat.
Spaghetti alla carbonara is another dish that highlights the richness
of fresh eggs. All that is needed for a complete dinner is
slightly wilted spinach with lemon and garlic.
SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA
6 ounces of bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper
1 pound spaghetti (You can get organic pastas at Lee Robinson)
1/4 cup fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese – more if you like.
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
Add the olive oil and the bacon to a large frying pan and heat slowly
at medium-low heat until the fat is mostly rendered and the bacon has
browned. Leave the meat and fat in the pan, turn off the heat and
cover the pan to keep it warm.
Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in one bowl, mix the cheeses and in another bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and the egg yolk until blended.
Stir half the cheese mixture and several grinds of black pepper into the eggs.
Put a large serving bowl into the sink and set a colander into the
bowl. When the pasta is ready, pour it into the colander so that
its cooking water will warm the serving bowl.
Grab he colander quickly out of the water and shake a couple of times.
Toss the strained spaghetti into the pan with the bacon and stir to coat he pasta with the bacon grease.
Empty the water from the serving dish, reserving 1 cup in a measuring cup.
Transfer the pasta into the warmed serving bowl and sir in the egg
mixture with a wooden spoon, coating the pasta evenly. Add a
splash of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems a little
dry. Add Parmigiano if it is too wet. Serve at once.
I am not a good baker. I think the process is too precise for me,
and I don’t have a sweet tooth. But I do occasionally
make deserts and a favorite is an eggy cherry clafouti. It is
simple and forgiving and tastes of the French countryside.
The addition of Todd’s fresh turkey eggs elevated it to the
sublime, improving the texture and color and again imparting the
richness that particularly suits a dessert.
It is traditionally made with cherries, but other fruits are equally good, especially pears.
CLAFOUTI AUX CERISES
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar, or to taste
2/3 cup flour
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups Bing cherries or canned cherries, drained
Confectioners’ sugar and roasted slivered almonds to top
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a blender of food processor
combine the sugar, flour, eggs, egg yolk, milk, heavy cream, and
vanilla and blend until smooth.
Arrange the cherries in a buttered 10-inch pie plate and pour the batter over them.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the flan is puffed and golden.
Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the top and sprinkle on the
almond slivers. Serve warm. But it is equally good when
chilled and, like the soufflé, is a superb breakfast.
The simple recipes I prepared with backyard chicken and turkey eggs
have converted me to their use. Joanne Throne has convinced me
that the duck eggs she harvests from her ducks are equally delicious,
and I hope to try them soon.
I encourage you to search for fresh local eggs and support your local
farmers, both backyard and professional. When you do, everyone
benefits.
(Lynne
Foster lives in Hatteras village with her husband, Ernie. Together they
operate The Albatross Fleet of charter boats. They actively support the
sustainable practices of the island’s commercial fishermen and
the preservation of Hatteras Island’s working waterfront.
Both love to cook seafood and entertain friends, and Lynne loves to
experiment with recipes for locally caught seafood.)
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