For a long time Sunny was known. around Western MA as the hot girl with the good eggs. Eggs and legs even! She had a diverse flock of birds she cultivated for some unique eggs!
Here she is posing as farmgirl Sunny with her bounty of eggs! As well as some dreamy creamy egg product photos I took for her.
As a bonus: Some egg recipes from yours truly! Enjoy your eggs!
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”101″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]How to boil the perfect egg:
There’s alot of tips and tricks around for boiling eggs and everyone seems to have their own preferred method. You’d be surprised how many different ways there are to do something as simple as boiling an egg!
First tip is:
It’s alot easier to peel older eggs. So if you are making egg salad, devilled eggs or the like you might want to pre plan and buy some a week or even two in advance.
Boil more than you think you need and keep them as a snack for on the go, or turn them into a tasty creation with one of our upcoming recipes…
stovetop:
First of all, start with a pan that is big enough to accommodate however many eggs you have, to be covered with at least an inch of water.
I like to add a pinch of sea salt, and a dash of white vinegar. Some people say it helps to contain the egg if they happen to crack while boiling. I don’t know if that’s true, or if it’s just an old Italian tradition but I do it.
Timing can be tricky and depends alot on how you like your eggs, as well as altitude, type of stove and pan and number of eggs. But here in New England, I generally find 10-12 minutes makes a nicely hard cooked egg.
Instant pot
If you’re like me you got one of these for Christmas last year and have spent the majority of quarantine experimenting with it. Well, the good news is they are actually awesome for making perfect hardboiled eggs in half the time.
For a nice, medium well egg with a yolk center that will hold, but is still soft, I like to cook them for 3 minutes.
For hard cooked eggs 4-5 minutes.
Some instant pots have included or you can buy separately egg racks perfect for steaming perfect eggs. Whether or not you use one of these the results will be the same. Put in the desired amount of eggs and add about 2-3 inches of water. No need to cover with water.
Put the setting on steam and input the amount of time you want them cooked.
After cooking release the steam
Regardless of HOW you cook your eggs, you’ll want to strain them when done, and place them in an ice bath, or run cool water over them to stop them from cooking further.
Store covered in your fridge so they don’t stink the whole thing up
Peeling:
I find rolling gently and then peeling under a low stream of running water works best.
If you are having one of those days where the eggs don’t seem to want to peel without ripping apart; roll them gently and crack all over and them immerse them in cool water for a while.
That’s an awful lot of instructions for a simple task!
Enjoy your eggs soft or hard boiled!
Homemade garlic mayo:
Once you realize how simple it is to make home made mayo you will likely never want to go back to the store bought stuff. Using farm fresh eggs makes for an incredibly rich and velvety mayonnaise.
This recipe calls for one while farm fresh Fox’s Hen House egg.
(If you have concerns over using raw, unpasteurized eggs you can check out our blog post here: about how to safely pasteurize our eggs at home)
Half a cup of neutral oil. You’ll want a light tasting oil such as: sunflower, avocado, grapeseed, safflower, peanut or soybean oils all being good choices.
Half a cup of good quality but light tasting olive oil. If you want to keep it local you can check out the Northampton Olive OIl Company:
https://www.facebook.com/thenoocNoHo/
You can also forgo the olive oil altogether and do a full cup of your choice of oil. Using ALL olive oil will result ina very heavy mayo which may break and have a hard time emulsifying.
½ teaspoon ground Mustard. This is a crucial element for the emulsification process. People have their own preferences. You can use mustard powder, mustard seeds ground, or prepared mustard. I like the classic taste of dijon.
2 tablespoons lemon juice. You can also use white vinegar.
½ teaspoon sea salt to taste
Equipment needed:
Food processor or emulsion mixer
(it’s possible to do this recipe by hand in a bowl with a whisk, but it takes quite a long time and is not a possibility for this chef suffering from RA so we’re talking kitchen equipment here.)
Crack one full egg into your food processor, or bowl.
Pulse for about 20 seconds with the egg alone.
Add your lemon juice or vinegar, and mustard
Pule again for about 20 seconds
Now, you’ll want to turn on the processor or emulsifier and SLOWLY add the oil mixture. When I say slowly I mean incredibly slowly. Like drop by drop. Until you’ve got about 1/ of the oil added and your mayo begins to take shape. Your total pouring time should be about a minute and a half. The slower you pour the creamier your mayo.
When done taste it, and adjust with the sea salt and/or more lemon juice or vinegar to your liking.
The thickness of your mayo can also be dependent on your preference and desired intention. You can add more oil or even water if you are trying to have it be runnier for things like dressings.
Store covered in fridge for up to a week.
Variations: Of course you can add some fun things. Herbs, black pepper, roasted garlic, hot sauce, the possibilities are pretty endless.
Send us some pictures and let us know what creations you’re making with homemade mayonnaise!