By Ken Gland.
Early in the pandemic, mainly to control garden snails, I got two ducks to join my two old hens already in the chicken coop. You can read about my snail exploits here -
Now, well into this horrible plague, I have snails and duck eggs!
If you haven't gotten ducks for yourself like I have, you may be a lucky duck (I quack myself up!) with a neighbor that has some duck eggs to give you and duck eggs are sold at Farmer's Markets.
Using duck eggs instead of hen's eggs in baking is a little tricky, since baking is a science and there is a volume difference between the types of eggs, but in the art of cooking I use them interchangeably. I make everything with duck eggs that I used to make with hen eggs; omelets, quiches, frittatas, casseroles, breads, cookies, cakes, pies, tarts, etc... I love to put a fried egg, hen or duck, on top of anything; salad, rice, toast, pasta, vegetables, sandwiches, soups . . .
"What’s the Difference Between a Chicken Egg and a Duck Egg?" According to Annaliese Keller on https://edibleparadise.com/home-page-stories/pastry-chefs-secret-ingredient-duck-eggs/
"If you’ve never tried duck eggs, you may be wondering how they differ from chicken eggs. Duck eggs are larger than some chicken eggs, but not by much. They are about the size of a jumbo chicken egg, slightly more oblong in shape, and have harder, off-white or grayish shells. The yolks are a deeper shade of orange gold than chicken eggs.
Some people taste no difference between duck eggs and chicken eggs and others claim that duck eggs taste ‘eggier’ and creamier. Another plus for duck eggs is that people who have an allergy to chicken eggs may be able to tolerate duck eggs. Pastured, free-range duck eggs have more than twice the nutritional value of chicken eggs and are much higher in Omega 3 fatty acids. . .
... You can substitute one duck egg for one chicken egg in recipes if your duck eggs are not much bigger than chicken eggs. The official substitution ratio is two duck eggs for every three chicken eggs."
The BBC Good Food Magazine website https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/duck-egg-sponge-cake
- has a recipe for a cake by Miriam Nice calling for 5 duck eggs, saying "Duck eggs make this sponge extra light and fluffy - cover in a rich buttercream for a show stopping Easter bake or stunning birthday cake." Photo by Immediate Media Company Ltd.
And the Epicurious website -
- has a recipe by Hank Shaw for a completely different kind of cake calling for 4 duck eggs, saying "This is an insanely easy cake to make. It goes together in just minutes and tastes awesome: a touch ducky—more so if you use wild duck fat—sweet, but not overly so, with a little hit of rosemary to even things out." Photo by Holly A. Heyser.
If you haven't tried duck eggs, I hope that you will. They are great!
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