Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Eggstra! Eggstra!

eggs

When confronted by such a sight, first thoughts might be of sympathy towards the poor chicken that had the misfortune to lay such an egg.

But that would be misplaced as the culprit responsible for that egg is a Goose and surprisingly, it's not golden.

There's only one place I've found Goose eggs and for those in Melbourne, you'll need to go to Farmers' Market at the Collingwood Children's Farm to find them.

To give you an idea of their size - the yolk and white weighed 145 grams or just over 5 ounces - you'll need to adjust recipes to take this into consideration.

Goose eggs share properties found in duck eggs - higher fat and richer yolks make them the choice for baking. You might also like to take Michel Roux's advice and use them for Quiche.

I decided that the KISS approach was best and opted to make an omelette filled with rocket (arugula), cheese, tomato and freshly carved ham. I did stray a bit from the simple approach and added a little fresh ricotta to the beaten egg - it's not everyday that we get to enjoy these beautiful eggs. The egg might not have been golden but the omelette certainly was!

omelette

Goose Egg Omelette
[Makes 1 omelette]

1 goose egg
50 grams ricotta
salt and freshly ground white pepper
butter, for cooking

Push the ricotta through a mesh sieve, then add the egg. Whisk to combine then season with freshly ground salt and white pepper.

Heat a skillet with a generous knob of butter and when the butter has almost melted, add the egg mixture. Let this cook for 10 seconds then start pushing the edges towards the centre. Keep doing this and tilting the pan to let the uncooked egg run to the edges.

After a little while you'll find that the top will still be squishy and moist but there's no egg run-off. Shake the skillet to make sure the omelette isn't sticking.

Because I like my omelette on the soft and squishy side, it's at this stage that I'll start adding the filling. If you like your omelette less runny then cover the skillet and while still shaking the pan, let the surface dry out.

I've folded this omelette rather than rolling so I placed the fillings on one side of the omelette. First a little grated mozzarella followed by a generous handful of rocket leaves, diced tomatoes and roughly ripped pieces of ham then a little more grated mozzarella.

Fold the empty half over the filling and jiggle the omelette towards the centre of the pan. Cover the skillet, turning down the heat to allow the filling to warm. After a minute, flip the omelette, cover and cook for another 30 seconds or until the cheese has melted.

Slide onto a plate and eat at once!


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13 comments

  1. I've tried their duck egg but not goose. sounds like we may have crossed paths again! we were there from about 9 - 10am.

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  2. I went there early to avoid the heat so I was gone by 9. The question is which market are you going to this saturday ;)

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  3. Haalo - if there is a competition for food blog posting of the year I'd like to vote for this one!

    I'm always going on about keeping it simple and getting to the basics of great food while understanding the science behind the cooking. Your piece gets a tick in every box I can think of, not least of which is the wonderful photography.

    We were talking about goose eggs at my house just the other weekend while discussing possible Xmas menus and I had been thinking about cooking some for my blog. But I've been well and truly trumped by you. Brilliant!

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  4. Talk about a monster egg! That omlette looks amazing - I really should make the trip to the farm one of these days!

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  5. Haalo,

    There's a city here in Sao Paulo called "Itu" - a part of this city is full of giant things - public phones, park benches, etc. Even the souvenirs are very big - like giant pencils, toys, coffee mugs, etc.

    This egg seems to be from Itu! :D

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  6. Goose eggs? Oh, wow! Your omlette looks delicious! I wouldn't know where to find it in my neck of the woods...

    Paz

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  7. Thanks Trig - that's quite an endorsement, it's just so nice of you! You could look at boiling goose eggs, they have a different consistency that's quite fascinating.

    Hi Ellie - The farmers market is on the second saturday of the month and it's probably one of the best of its type. They don't offer a lot of goose eggs so you have to get in early but I think they are worth it. They would make an incredible frittata or tortilla.

    Hi Patricia - now that sounds like a most unusual place and this egg would certainly be right at home there!

    Hi Paz - I suppose you might be able to find turkey eggs easier?

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  8. I have never tried or seen duck or goose eggs...do they taste much like chicken eggs?
    Great photo!

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  9. Hi Shelly - they have a richer flavour compared to chicken eggs, if you didn't know you might think you had an incredibly good egg. Though the size of the egg yolk of the goose egg will give it away - it's huge!

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  10. okay, that's pretty early and we are never THAT punctual! We take our time walking down there from home and it takes around 45min. no market this weekend cos of other commitments...

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  11. Cin, you are so lucky to have both the market the convent bakery that close to you.

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  12. It is now Auust 2007 and it is goose egg time in Sydney they are available from EQ market Moore Park on Wed & Sat. They make an awesome soft poached egg over a salad with red wine viniagrette with cracked black pepper. Soaft boiled with asparagus as your dipping soldiers is another great way to enjoy them

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  13. Hi Pinot- that's great, I'll have to keep an eye out to see if they are available here too.

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