The eggs may not be perfect, but your memories will be.
I’ve always loved Easter. To me, it speaks of renewal, hope and is colored with the pastel shades of optimism. Some of my fondest memories involve Easter. Family, specifically my grandmother, new clothes and shoes, the Easter Bunny, sunrise church services, candy and, of course, eggs.
Naturally, I want to recreate my love of Easter for my daughter who is at the perfect age to build some memories and traditions. First order of business? Perfect the egg boiling processes. Try as I might, my eggs always end up with an olive green ring around the yolk. Not only is this unappealing visually, it generally means the yolk is overcooked and chalky. I feel like the basket of eggs left for The Easter Bunny should be pristine, gloriously colored, with sunny yellow yolks and no green!
Where do I turn when my persnickety perfectionism gets the best of me? Why the Queen of the Kitchen, Julia Child. Sadly, this time Julia let me down. She gave me quick and dirty directions for cooking a 6-minute egg, but not an Easter Bunny worthy hard-boiled egg. Could it be that the French don’t enjoy hard-boiled eggs? Or, (gasp!), there is no Easter Bunny in France? It’s too horrific to contemplate; quickly I turned my mind to more pleasant thoughts and found this little gem.
Croque Madam Muffins
Yield: 6
For the cheese sauce:
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 Tablespoon of all-purpose flour
¾ cup plus 1 Tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ cup grated cheese (Gruyere, or
sharp cheddar)
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
6 large slices of white bread,
crusts removed
3 Tablespoons of butter, melted
3 large slices of deli ham
6 small eggs
To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth; continue whisking for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the milk, mustard and nutmeg; continue whisking until smooth. Return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking frequently. Once the sauce thickens to the consistency of thick tomato sauce, remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese. Set a little cheese aside for garnish. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Flatten the slices of bread with a rolling pin, then brush each slice on both sides with melted butter. Line a 6-cup muffin tin with slices of bread, pressing them in to the muffin cup with the bottom of a small glass.
Divide the ham into 6 pieces and put a piece of ham on top of the bread. Crack an egg into each cup. If the egg is too big, pour a little bit of the white out before using; there should still be room in the muffin cups for a dollop of sauce.
Put 2 Tablespoons of cheese sauce on top of each egg; then sprinkle with the reserved cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs. Serve immediately.
The French may not enjoy hard-boiled Easter Eggs, but this recipe from The Little Paris Kitchen (Rachel Khoo) is a pretty yummy breakfast and I can’t help but think The Easter Bunny would approve. My child and I enjoyed this perfectly delicious diversion, but when the dishes were washed, I still had no solution to my hard-boiled problem.
Since Julia let me down, I felt my only recourse was to resort to The Internet, where I found the perfect solution. My yolks are now sunny yellow, with creamy, not chalky yolks.
Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
Yield: 12
1 dozen eggs, a few days old
1 Tablespoon of Kosher salt
Large pot, at least twice as tall as the eggs
Gently place the eggs in a single layer in the bottom of the pan; taking care not to crack or abuse them in any way. Fill the pan with cold water to cover the eggs by about 1 inch of water. Add the Kosher salt.
Place the pot, uncovered, on a burner turned to high heat. Let the water come to a boil. Once the water comes to a FULL boil, remove from the heat and cover with a tight fitting lid. Let the eggs stay in the hot water and steam for 9-12 minutes. Mine were perfectly done in 10.
After the time is up, strain away the hot water and replace it with cold water; add ice cubes to the water. This cold-water bath stops the eggs from cooking. The water should be very cold. Let the eggs cool in the water.
Store the boiled eggs refrigerated for up to 5 days.
If you are dying your eggs with children, here are a few tips.
• Protect the surface. I like plain white towels, cause they are absorbent and bleachable. Have plenty of paper towels at the ready.
• Use glass or ceramic bowls. Or if you are like me, use what you have and pray nothing spills. Heavier dishes won’t tip as easily in the excitement.
• Children love color, so use bright primary colors and experiment with mixing custom egg colors.
• A whisk is the recommended vessel for dipping chubby fingers to dip, but we had much better luck using a deep, slotted spoon. A pasta server works well too.
• Let eggs dry on an upside down egg carton; if you run out of room, turn mini muffin tins upside down for a drying rack.
• For brighter colors, enlist a little patience and leave the eggs in the dye for about 10 minutes.
Since toddler-dyed eggs may not be your preference, I turned to another kitchen maven: Martha Stewart. Crafty Martha creates stunning eggs with paper napkins and egg whites.
Paper Napkin Eggs
Yield: 12
12 Boiled Eggs
3 paper napkins
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Take the napkins and separate the printed top layer. I had to blow violently on my napkin to do this. Cut every napkin into 4 squares. Dip a kitchen brush into the beaten egg and apply a napkin square. Dip the brush into the egg whites and gently smooth the napkin from the center out. Wrap the napkin around the egg. There will be a definitely front/back for these eggs. Trim off any excess napkin on the back. Let the eggs dry on a rack.
We made these eggs, and every single egg turned out wrinkled; this is precise work and may not be suitable for those who are not perfectionists or toddlers. But they are gorgeous, and while Martha may not be pleased with our wrinkled napkin eggs, I can’t help but think The Easter Bunny will be thrilled.
Easter eggs, with their ancient message of new life span the range of lavish Imperial Faberge Eggs, to humble eggs, decorated at kitchen tables with napkins by a creative three year old. But one thing remains the same; the message and memories should be cherished and shared with each generation.
