March is upon us! The light returns, the grass becomes green again, and crocuses poke their head out of the ground. Lambs are being born, and schoolchildren across the Island are setting eggs into incubators with the promise of chicks in three weeks. To celebrate the return of spring, our March Harvest of the Month is eggs.
Chicken egg laying is tied to daylight, and as we begin to have more hours of daylight than night, we get more eggs. Local farmstands are flush with eggs this time of year. Even as egg prices go up, an egg is still one of the most affordable sources of local animal protein. For a complete list of farmstands and their offerings, make sure to sign up for the M.V. Agricultural Society newsletter.
Join us in making this delicious cured egg yolk recipe from Gabrielle Chronister. Once cured, they are delicious grated onto pasta, salad, crostini, roasted veggies, or anything where you might use Parmesan cheese!
Cured Egg Yolks
4 large local egg yolks
1¾ cup kosher salt
1½ cup sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine the salt and sugar in a medium bowl and mix well. Spread half of the mixture in a small glass baking dish.
Using the back of a spoon, make 4 evenly spaced indentations into the salt mixture. Sprinkle some pepper into each indentation. Carefully place the egg yolks in each of the indentations, making sure no egg is sitting directly on the glass. Gently cover yolks completely with the remaining salt mixture. Seal lid on glass baking dish, or tightly cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for four days.
Preheat oven to 150°. Remove egg yolks from the salt mixture. The yolks should now have a gummy-like texture. Gently brush the salt mixture off each yolk, and carefully rinse in cold water to remove excess salt. Discard remaining salt mixture.
Place yolks on a cooling rack (sprayed with nonstick spray) on top of a cooking sheet, and bake for 1.5 to 2 hours, until yolks are firm through. Turn off oven and let yolks remain in the oven until completely cooled. Store yolks in the fridge in an airtight container.
