World Egg Day - recipes for eggs with Herbs

Who knew there would be a World Egg Day?  I was astonished when an e-mail came to me announcing this wonderful fact.  Now I must admit my husband believes eggs are a super food.  He is not happy unless there are at least three dozen eggs in the refrigerator.  He does use them, as he bakes and he makes breakfast every morning, so I can see his point to some extent. 

I have always liked certain herbs with eggs. Some herbs just plain go well with eggs, including: anise, basil, chervil, chives, coriander, cumin, dill, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.  You can snip them fresh into scrambled eggs, bake dried into egg custard or frittata or simply serve them on top of eggs with an herbal butter.

I had my husband pull out a few of his easy favorites, so here are a couple to try at home.

Recipes to try on World Egg Day

          (or any other day you want a tasty egg meal!)

Baked eggs with herbs

The eggs are baked in custard cups with butter and herbs then topped with shredded cheese.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped chives
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• dash crumbled dried tarragon
•  dash dried leaf thyme
•  4 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Heat oven to 325°.  Combine butter with dried herbs; divide among 4 6-ounce custard cups. Place custard cups in a large shallow baking pan. Place in oven until butter has melted. Break an egg into each cup. Sprinkle with pepper. Top each with 1 tablespoon cream and 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until eggs reach desired doneness.
Serves 4.

Egg Salad with Herbs

For a beautiful presentation, serve this on a plate lined with nasturtium leaves, garnished with whole flowers, fresh snipped chives and/or dill sprigs. A fresh loaf of crusty, country-style bread is the best accompaniment; however rye or pumpernickel bread, pitas or thinly sliced bagels are good, too. Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

• 12 hard-cooked eggs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles
• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle juice
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions or minced onion
• 1/3 cup finely diced celery
• 2 tablespoons snipped chives, divided
• 2 tablespoons snipped dill leaves, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 10 to 12 nasturtiums, julienned
• 10 to 12 nasturtium leaves, julienned
• 12 large whole nasturtium leaves
• 6 to 12 whole nasturtiums

Preparation

1. Dice eggs and place in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, mustard, chopped pickles, pickle juice, onions, celery, 1 tablespoon chives, 1 tablespoon dill leaves, paprika, salt and pepper.

2. Toss well to blend. Stir in shredded nasturtium leaves and flowers. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

3. To serve, let salad stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes. Arrange nasturtium leaves on a platter and heap egg salad on top. Garnish with whole nasturtiums and remaining chives and dill, and serve immediately.

At the Backyard Patch we make hundred of blends using dried herbs.  One we especially recommend for serving with eggs is Fines Herbes.  If you are interested in learning more about our combinations, visit us at http://www.backyardpatch.com/