Overcoming the fear of duck eggs
We have these ducks who lay an egg a day, plus the baby ducks are going to soon be laying eggs. All of this means, we are going to be drowning in duck eggs. We use what we can, but I would love to be able to sell some as well. I find, though, that many people are more than a little hesitant to buy duck eggs, and I can't figure out why, because they're very useful and tasty things.
So, to help people over the duck egg hurdle, I made up a recipe for you... with pictures! Plus, when you have eight dozen duck eggs kicking about the house, you really need to do something with them!
Without further ado, I want to tell you about mini crustless quiches which live in your freezer and are a quick and nutritious breakfast for your hungry hoards. I made two variations today, though I have a couple more I want to try. I started out with bell pepper and pepperoni crustless quiches which are dairy-free because some of my people can't do dairy.
First, because we leave our eggs dirty and on the counter until we use them, Here we have 18 nice, clean duck eggs.
They don't look scary, do they? They are kind of a pearlescent white and are bigger and pointier than chicken eggs. I'm told the black cayuga ducks lay black eggs, but we have yet to see one, and I have no idea what color some of the other varieties of ducks the baby ducks are lay. It will be a surprise.
The thing with duck eggs is that their shells are hard. Hard! It's a good thing since they lay their eggs on the ground, often wherever. It helps to use a table knife to give the egg a good thwack to crack it open. The other thing with duck eggs is that they have more white than yolk. This is what makes them exceptional for baking, and they are the only thing we bake with these days. Here are all those eggs cracked open and sitting in a bowl.
First you'll see that cracked they look just like regular old eggs. Nothing scary there. You'll also notice that there is a lot more white. Another interesting thing about duck eggs is that they have more protein than chicken eggs. This is another reason that this easy breakfast dish is so appealing, because I'm always looking for ways to get more protein in my fast metabolism children to help us get through the morning. (And some people who cannot tolerate chicken eggs can manage duck eggs. I've sold several dozen eggs to people for allergy reasons.) But back to the recipe.
I added to the eggs, once I whisked them, two chopped bell peppers, a lot of sliced pepperoni, and 3/4 c. water and mixed it all up. I then used a small ladle to spoon the mixture into greased muffin tins. (I used olive oil spray.) They baked for 25 minutes at 325 degrees. This is what they looked like.
When I cut one open, it looks just like eggs look like when they are cooked.
See? Nothing scary, and my children pronounced them yummy. Once they cooled, I put them in a labelled ziplock bag and stuck them in the freezer.
I then made my second variation... spinach and Swiss cheese.
The variations still in my head are salas with pepper jack cheese and broccoli with cheddar. They were pretty quick to mix up and bake.
Remember, just because a food is not something you can buy in a grocery store, it doesn't mean it is not delicious and valuable. Come by and buy some duck eggs. Please.
Here are the recipes written out for those who need clearer directions and measurements.
Bell pepper and pepperoni mini crustless quiches
Yield: 2 dozen
1 dozen duck eggs
2 bell peppers, chopped in small dice
1/2 c. chopped pepperoni
3/4 c water
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Crack eggs into large bowl and whisk. Stir in peppers, pepperoni, salt and pepper. Grease two full size muffin tins. Using a small ladle, fill the muffin tins with the egg mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from over and cool. Put quiches in a freezer proof container. Lable and freeze. To use, remove as many as you want and microwave until warm.
Spinach and Swiss cheese variation.
Follow the above directions, but instead of the peppers and pepperoni, use 3/4 c. milk, 1/2 c. (or more) chiffonade cut spinach, and 8 oz. grated Swiss cheese.
Enjoy!
So, to help people over the duck egg hurdle, I made up a recipe for you... with pictures! Plus, when you have eight dozen duck eggs kicking about the house, you really need to do something with them!
Without further ado, I want to tell you about mini crustless quiches which live in your freezer and are a quick and nutritious breakfast for your hungry hoards. I made two variations today, though I have a couple more I want to try. I started out with bell pepper and pepperoni crustless quiches which are dairy-free because some of my people can't do dairy.
First, because we leave our eggs dirty and on the counter until we use them, Here we have 18 nice, clean duck eggs.
They don't look scary, do they? They are kind of a pearlescent white and are bigger and pointier than chicken eggs. I'm told the black cayuga ducks lay black eggs, but we have yet to see one, and I have no idea what color some of the other varieties of ducks the baby ducks are lay. It will be a surprise.
The thing with duck eggs is that their shells are hard. Hard! It's a good thing since they lay their eggs on the ground, often wherever. It helps to use a table knife to give the egg a good thwack to crack it open. The other thing with duck eggs is that they have more white than yolk. This is what makes them exceptional for baking, and they are the only thing we bake with these days. Here are all those eggs cracked open and sitting in a bowl.
First you'll see that cracked they look just like regular old eggs. Nothing scary there. You'll also notice that there is a lot more white. Another interesting thing about duck eggs is that they have more protein than chicken eggs. This is another reason that this easy breakfast dish is so appealing, because I'm always looking for ways to get more protein in my fast metabolism children to help us get through the morning. (And some people who cannot tolerate chicken eggs can manage duck eggs. I've sold several dozen eggs to people for allergy reasons.) But back to the recipe.
I added to the eggs, once I whisked them, two chopped bell peppers, a lot of sliced pepperoni, and 3/4 c. water and mixed it all up. I then used a small ladle to spoon the mixture into greased muffin tins. (I used olive oil spray.) They baked for 25 minutes at 325 degrees. This is what they looked like.
When I cut one open, it looks just like eggs look like when they are cooked.
See? Nothing scary, and my children pronounced them yummy. Once they cooled, I put them in a labelled ziplock bag and stuck them in the freezer.
I then made my second variation... spinach and Swiss cheese.
The variations still in my head are salas with pepper jack cheese and broccoli with cheddar. They were pretty quick to mix up and bake.
Remember, just because a food is not something you can buy in a grocery store, it doesn't mean it is not delicious and valuable. Come by and buy some duck eggs. Please.
Here are the recipes written out for those who need clearer directions and measurements.
Bell pepper and pepperoni mini crustless quiches
Yield: 2 dozen
1 dozen duck eggs
2 bell peppers, chopped in small dice
1/2 c. chopped pepperoni
3/4 c water
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Crack eggs into large bowl and whisk. Stir in peppers, pepperoni, salt and pepper. Grease two full size muffin tins. Using a small ladle, fill the muffin tins with the egg mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from over and cool. Put quiches in a freezer proof container. Lable and freeze. To use, remove as many as you want and microwave until warm.
Spinach and Swiss cheese variation.
Follow the above directions, but instead of the peppers and pepperoni, use 3/4 c. milk, 1/2 c. (or more) chiffonade cut spinach, and 8 oz. grated Swiss cheese.
Enjoy!
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