You guys, I feel like I'm getting to a point where I could start penning my own egg cookbook. I'm having a blast with all these fresh eggs around, in my face all the time. I have mastered the scrambled egg, and did my first successful poached eggs last month. Then, at a playdate with my friend, Jess, she supplied lunch in the form of curried turkey salad sandwiches. They were so delish, and I went home with a craving to try out the curried salad thing on our fresh eggs. I love curry. Who doesn't love curry?

So I'll show you what I whipped up, but first...

I would be remiss if I did not share my revelation in regards to hard boiling eggs. Because Martha, Alton, Paula, Christopher Kimball, and everyone else recommend starting hard boiled eggs in cold water, then bringing to boil with the eggs in the pan. The problem is, I have always had problems peeling eggs. Pieces of the egg break off, the shell doesn't want to come. The result is ugly, pockmarked eggs.

People have given me all sorts of tips {i.e. hard boil OLD eggs, hard boil with baking soda, etc.} but honestly none of that has ever worked. It's frustrating, especially for a chicken keeper, when half of the egg is being washed down the drain with the shell still attached. It was making me so angry.

So I did what any Millenial would do, I turned to Google to solve my problems. And here's what I found. It's a long read, but in short: Martha, Alton, Paula, and yes, EVEN AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN, are WRONG WRONG WRONG! This guy explains it so it makes sense. The truth is that eggs peel best when they're just immersed right into the boiling water. {This explains why I was so confused as to how I never had a problem peeling eggs until adulthood, my mom always just tossed them straight into a boiling pot too.} The idea, he explains, is similar to that of throwing meat into a skillet. If the skillet isn't hot enough, the meat sticks because of the way the protein behaves. When you put it in a super hot skillet to sear, however, the meat doesn't stick. So this is his theory with eggs: straight into boiling water, the egg white won't stick to the shell, whereas a slow heating of the water with the egg immersed will make it stick to the shell.

The dude has all these other amazing tips regarding baking eggs, how to get rid of the air dents, etc. If you have 15 free minutes, do read his entire article.

I know this much is true, Justin and I have had ZERO problems peeling eggs since starting this method of tossing them right into the water. The guy's article goes into what to do from there, but basically you want to bring a pot to boiling, gently lower eggs in and cook full boil for a couple minutes, then remove from heat with the lid on, and depending on egg size let it stay in the pot for 12-15 minutes, then transfer to ice water. Lowering the temp after the first initial minutes of cooking means that the outer white shouldn't become tough or rubbery--which is why all those famous cooks began recommending the cold-start method in the first place. Bah!

Moving onto my curried egg salad, I took about 6 boiled eggs {okay, I boiled 7, because some of our chickens lay super petite eggs, but if you have large size eggs then boil about 6} and peeled them.

{We were out of paper towels that day.}

Then I dumped the following in a mixing bowl:

That's mayo, curry powder, celery salt, sriracha, cumin, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and mixed it together. {Measurements below.}

Chopped up about 3 scallions.

Then, of course, the guests of honor, the eggs.

Cutting up eggs can be tedious work, especially if they are slightly more toward the soft-boiled stage like mine were. Using a strawberry slicer helps make it quick and clean. Then, it's just a matter of mixing gently.

Ready to be refrigerated or consumed. This recipe made us about 4 sandwiches. With soft wheat bread and a bed of baby spinach, this sandwich was divine.


Curried Egg Salad

6 eggs, hard-boiled
1/4 cup mayo
1 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp cumin
2-5 drops of hot sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 scallions, chopped

In a small mixing bowl, combine mayo, curry, celery salt, cumin, hot sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. Stir until ingredients are well blended. Chop eggs coarsely, gently stir eggs and scallions into mayo mixture. Serve on soft sandwich bread with lettuce or baby spinach. Enjoy!


Cheers,
Heather