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| EGG
RECIPE IDEAS |
FOOD
& COOKING ARTICLE |
 Go
to work on an egg with these recipes from Mark Hix
Clarence Court has got together with food writer and
restaurateur Mark Hix to produce some exclusive dishes
using eggs.
Eggs remain one of the most economical food sources
and can be used in such a variety of ways but why Clarence
Court eggs? You can of course use any egg to create
these recipes bit if you want that little bit extra
and you enjoy quality food . . .
Clarence Court produces rare breed hens on its farms
for eggs with real flavour. The free range environment
in which the hens live ensures the hens are active and
get plenty of exercise every day making them healthy
and productive. This in turn results in Clarence Court’s
gourmet flavour and rich yellow yolks, instantly recognisable
by anyone who knows good food.
 The
welfare of the hens and taste are all important which
means Clarence Court eggs are serious eggs for those
who take their food seriously.
- Founded
in 1990, Clarence Court has pioneered the revival
of traditional British specialty breeds of hens from
old pure bloodlines, for use in egg production.
- Clarence
Court birds spend more time outside because their
breeding characteristics encourage them to roam further
instinctively.
- Clarence
Court’s distinctive hen breeds eggs have larger
yolks with firmer egg whites and stronger shells.
As they are closer to their natural ancestors they
lay only 180 eggs a year compared to 280 eggs per
year for the average free range hen.
- Fed
on a natural cereal based diet with a generous helping
of sundrenched maize they also have the access to
forage in open pastures.
- The
Clarence Court range includes Old Cotswolds Legbars,
Mabel Pearman’s Burford Browns, Gladys May Braddock
White Duck Eggs and Free-to-Fly Quails eggs, a range
of seasonal eggs are also launched every spring.
- Clarence
Court eggs have a denser albumin, helping to keep
the yolk central, improving the flavour and maintaining
shape when fried or poached.
- All
Clarence Court hen eggs are stamped with the brand’s
iconic crown as a mark of authenticity
Egg recipe ideas:
BAKED
DUCK EGGS WITH WILD MUSHROOMS
 You
can buy duck eggs in supermarkets now, otherwise use
a large hen's egg. You may see morels in very specialist
greengrocers, if not use any other type of wild or cultivated
mushroom. Wild garlic isn't hard to find in the country;
pick some if you're on a weekend walk (you won't miss
the smell, believe me). Garlic chives from an Asian
greengrocers will work equally well or you could just
crush a clove of garlic and mix with some parsley for
colour.
Ingredients
120 - 150g wild mushrooms, cleaned
80g butter, softened
300ml double cream
2tbs chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 duck eggs
Method
- Preheat
the oven to 180ºC / 350ºF / gas mark 4.
- In
a pan with the lid on, gently cook the mushrooms in
40g of the butter for 3 - 4 minutes until they soften.
- Add
the cream, season with salt and pepper and simmer
very gently for 3 - 4 minutes.
- Add
the parsley and continue to simmer for another 5 or
6 minutes until they soften. The sauce should not
be too thick but if it does thicken add a little water.
- Rub
four individual, shallow oven-proof serving dishes
(terracotta or those flat crème brûlée ones are ideal)
with the rest of the butter between them.
- Then
crack a duck egg into each dish and season the white.
- Cover
each dish with foil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes
or until the white has set to your liking.
- To
serve spoon the hot sauce and mushrooms around the
egg white.
Serves
4
AUGUST
FRUIT FRENCH TOAST or EGGY BREAD WITH AUTUMN FRUITS
 Making
French toast is so easy, yet we don't often make the
effort to do it for a quick, tasty, breakfast or brunch.
This is a bit of a twist on the classic pain perdu,
by making it into a sandwich with all of those lovely,
dark, late-summer fruits.
Ingredients
4 slices of brioche (or bread)
2 medium eggs, beaten
2tbsp caster sugar
100ml milk
A few drops of vanilla essence
100 - 120g butter
150 - 200g blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants,
etc
4tbsp crème fraîche
Method
- Whisk
the eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla together.
- Mix
the fruits and put the mixture between the brioche
slices, pressing them firmly together so that they
crush the fruit slightly.
-
Put the sandwiches in a tray, pour over the egg mixture
and leave to stand for about 2 - 3 minutes.
-
Heat the butter in a (preferably) non-stick
frying pan until it is foaming, carefully remove the
sandwiches from the tray with a fish slice and cook
for about 2 minutes on each side until golden.
- Cut
the sandwiches in half, transfer on to serving plates
and serve with the crème fraîche.
Serves
4
HERB OMELETTE
 A
good non-stick frying pan is an essential piece of equipment
for omelettes. Gone are the days of proving your pan
for hours with salt and oil.
Ingredients
12 medium eggs, beaten
6tbs chopped soft green herbs (chervil, chives, parsley,
tarragon)
90 g butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Timing
is essential if you are attempting to make a lot of
omelettes, so keep them a little undercooked to allow
for reheating.
- Season
the eggs with salt and pepper and mix in the herbs.
- Rub
a little butter into a non-stick frying pan, heat
gently then add a quarter of the egg mixture for one
person.
- Stir
with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the egg
begins to set.
- Remove
the pan from the heat and slide the omelette flat
onto a cold plate to prevent it cooking any longer.
Serves
4
SAUSAGE AND EGG MEATLOAF
 You
can vary this by using minced veal or even a mixture
of veal and pork. You can also add some cooked mushrooms
to the mix if you wish.
Ingredients
400g good quality sausage meat
3tbs chopped parsley
4 - 5 hard boiled eggs, peeled
250 - 300g butter puff pastry, rolled to about one-third
of a centimetre
1 egg, beaten
Method
- Mix
the sausage meat with the parsley.
- Cut
about 1/2 - 1 cm off the ends of the eggs or close
to the yolk.
- Lay
a piece of cling film on the work surface then flatten
the sausage meat onto the cling film.
- Line
the eggs up down the centre, end on end then using
the cling film roll the mixture into a sausage shape
about 25cm long.
- Removing
the cling film carefully place down the centre of
the pastry and roll the pastry around it.
- Trim
the pastry so it overlaps by a cm or so and brush
the overlapping edge with egg so the join is on the
bottom.
-
Place the meatloaf on a baking tray and press the
ends down and trim off the excess.
- You
can decorate the pastry with excess strips if you
wish or by making lines with the back of a knife.
Brush the pastry with egg and leave to rest in the
fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat
the oven to 180°C / gas mark 5.
- Bake
the meatloaf for about 30 - 40 minutes or until the
centre is hot when pierced and tested with a skewer.
Serves
6
www.clarencecourt.co.uk
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