Darina Allen: How to make perfect poached eggs on toast and other Easter egg recipes

Just pop a freshly laid egg into barely salted simmering water and it will plump up deliciously

Learn how to cook with Darina's top recipes

What can be more adorable on Easter Sunday morning, than the joy and excitement on the children's faces when they see the newborn chicks in the Palais des Poulets here on the farm… If our hens don't get broody, Eileen and John take matters into their own hands. A dozen or so eggs go into the incubator in the potting shed…twenty one days later, the chicks start to hatch out, pecking through the shells with their little beaks… yet another miracle of nature. Within a few hours, they are all fluffed up and cheeping, ready to tuck into a little fine oatmeal or chick mash.

Within 18-22 weeks the females are crowing with pride having laid their first egg. These smaller, initial attempts are referred to as pullets eggs… the term given to a chicken before it officially becomes a hen. As I cook, I can scarcely imagine life without eggs or hens for that matter.

Ever since I was a child, we’ve always had hens, they gratefully gobble up the food scraps and reward us with beautiful fresh eggs a few days later. The hen manure goes onto the compost and eventually back into the garden to enrich the soil making it more fertile to grow even more nutritious vegetables. What's not to love about that virtuous cycle.

Recently, the price of eggs has gone up for several reasons, not least because the price of organic and non-organic grain has increased since the Ukraine war. Because of bird flu, we have been instructed to keep our flock indoors since mid-September (2022) and it looks like they won't be released until maybe the end of April.

Just like all of us during lockdown, our hens hate being cooped up indoors and long to be able to roam freely through the grass and scratch for grubs and insects. They are altogether happier and healthier when they can wander around naturally outdoors not to speak of laying more delicious nutrient dense eggs.

Boiled eggs and soldiers are one of my favourite kitchen suppers. Friends love to join me, for many, it's a trip down memory lane from when we were children, dipping little fingers of toast into the runny yolk.

recipe by:Darina Allen

Mothers all over the country cut up fingers of toast for children to dip into soft-boiled eggs. In our family we call them ‘dippies’. A trip down memory lane…

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2 fresh organic eggs

salt and freshly ground pepper

a few pats of butter

1 slice of fresh best quality white loaf bread

6-8 spears of fresh Irish asparagus

ingredients (one per line)

Method

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil, gently slide in the eggs, bring the water back to the boil and simmer gently for 4-6 minutes, according to your taste. A four minute egg will be still quite soft, five minutes will almost set the white while the yolk will still be runny, 6 minutes will produce a boiled egg with a soft yolk and solid white.

Meanwhile toast the bread, cut off the crusts and spread with butter. Cut in fingers. Immediately the eggs are cooked, pop them into egg cups, put the dippies and asparagus on the side and serve with a pepper mill, sea salt and a few pats of butter.

To prepare and cook the asparagus: Hold each spear of asparagus over your index finger down near the root end, it will snap at the point where it begins to get tough. Some people like to peel the asparagus, but we rarely do.

To boil, tie similar sized bundles of asparagus in bundles with raffia. Choose a tall saucepan.

Cook in about 2.5cm (1 inch) of boiling salted water (1 teaspoon salt to every 600ml/1 pint) in an oval cast iron casserole. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes or until a knife tip will pierce the root end easily. Drain and serve immediately. If serving cold, refresh in cold water and drain again.

For a posher version for Easter, look out for a few spears of new-season asparagus. West Cork has some of the first asparagus of the season so if you’re in that area, get to the Skibbereen Farmers Market early on Saturday morning and it tends to sell out.

For perfectly poached eggs, there is no need for any fancy gadget. Just pop a freshly laid egg, into barely salted simmering water and it will plump up deliciously unlike a stale egg that will splinter and spread all over the saucepan.

recipe by:Darina Allen

No fancy egg poachers or moulds are needed to produce a perfect result – simply use a really fresh egg laid by a happy, lazy duck or hen.

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2 organic eggs

toast, freshly made from a slice of pan loaf

Method

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Reduce the heat, swirl the water, crack the egg into a tiny bowl or a cup, and slip the egg gently into the whirlpool in the centre. This avoids getting the tips of your fingers burned as you drop the egg into the water. The water should not boil again but bubble very gently just below boiling point. Cook for about 3–4 minutes, until the white is set, and the yolk is still soft and runny.

Meanwhile, make a slice of toast. Cut off the crusts, butter the toast and pop it onto a hot plate. Lift out the poached egg or eggs on a perforated spoon; drain and place on top of the toast. Serve immediately.

Or you can poach the eggs ahead of time and then reheat them briefly in boiling water. Just cook them for a minute less than usual, and then slip them into a bowl of cold water to stop them from cooking further.

To reheat the poached eggs, bring a saucepan of water to the boil, draw off the heat and slip the egg back into the water for a minute or two until hot through.

Really good eggs add magic to cakes, the yolks add richness and the whipped egg whites, contribute lightness and a tenderness to the texture but surprise, surprise, the quality really matters.

We’re loving our new Easter egg cake to add to the traditional Pasque afternoon tea. A lighter cake than the traditional simnel cake. The kids would love to help and they really enjoy making the Easter egg nests and arranging the fluffy chicks on top.

recipe by:Darina Allen

Super easy and fun to make - decorate with fluffy Easter chicks

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110g (4oz) Rice Krispies or Cornflakes

175g (6oz) chocolate

72 mini speckled eggs

cupcake papers or ring moulds

Method

Put the chocolate in a Pyrex bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Bring just to the boil, turn off the heat immediately and allow to melt in the bowl. Stir in the Rice Krispies or Cornflakes.

Spoon into cupcake cases. Flatten a little and make a well in the centre. Fill with three speckled chocolate mini eggs. Allow to set.

recipe by:Darina Allen

A gorgeous, luscious Easter cake, fun for all the family.

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400g (14oz) self-raising flour

300g (10oz) caster sugar

zest of 2 organic lemons (use the juice for homemade lemonade)

4 organic eggs, beaten

300ml (10fl oz) whole milk

300ml (10fl oz) light olive oil

Easter Egg nests (see recipe)

3 x 20.5cm (8 inch) round tins

For the buttercream:

150g (5oz) egg whites

225g (8oz) caster sugar

zest of 2 organic lemons (use the juice for homemade lemonade)

450g (1lb) butter, softened and cut into cubes.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Line the cake tins with parchment paper.

Sieve the flour, sugar and lemon freshly grated lemon zest into a bowl. Whisk the egg, milk and oil together in a separate bowl.

Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Divide evenly between the three tins, bake in the preheated oven until well risen and golden on top for 30-45 minutes approx.

When the cake is fully cooked, it will have shrunk in a little from the sides of the tin. A skewer inserted into the centre will come out clean.To make the buttercream:

Put the egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a food mixer, rest over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the egg whites reach 80°C. Whisk on maximum speed in the food mixer until stiffly whipped and cool. With the machine running, add the freshly grated lemon zest and butter, one piece at a time until it is fully incorporated. If the mixture begins to look curdled, continue to whisk until it re-emulsifies.

Spread a layer of buttercream on 2 cakes, sandwich the three layers together. Ice both the top and sides of the cake and decorate as desired.

For this Easter Egg Cake, we make Easter Egg Nests to embellish the top but have fun, use your creative streak and get the kids to participate.

Have you come across Aussie folded eggs yet? It's a new one to me until recently. I came across them on an Aussie inspired all day brunch menu on a recent trip to California They’re a kind of elegant hybrid version of a ruffled omelette/scramble that resembles a rose on the plate. Tender and delicious, often accompanied by avocado or on top of avo toast… it's become one of my new favourites.

You can also imagine how good it is with paper thin slices of chorizo or asparagus. We used wild garlic flowers to garnish while they are in season.

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2 organic eggs

1 tablespoon cream

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

10g butter

25cm (10 inch) non-stick pan

freshly chopped chives and Aleppo pepper

Method

Whisk the eggs with the cream. Season generously with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Melt a blob of butter in the non-stick pan over a medium heat. When it sizzles, pour on the egg and swirl to cover the base of the pan. Allow the egg to set undisturbed for 10 seconds then gradually bring the edges of the egg to the centre with a spatula from all sides so it begins to look like a flower. Just as soon as the liquid egg stops running, remove the pan from the heat, grind some coarse black pepper and sprinkle with finely chopped chives and Aleppo pepper.

Slide the egg onto a warm plate. Serve as it is with toast or add bacon, avocado, tomato, smoked fish...Enjoy soon.

Hot Tips

New Season's Irish Asparagus

Seek out Irish asparagus, it's in season now. Cook quickly in a little boiling, salted water or toss in extra virgin olive oil, season with a little sea salt and grill.

Lisheen Greens at Skibbereen and Schull Farmers’ Market have lovely fat stalks of delicious asparagus.

For more information, see @lisheengreens on Instagram

Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards 2023

Now in their 16th year, Blas na hÉireann, The Irish Food Awards is the biggest competition for quality Irish produce on the island of Ireland. Deadline for submission of entries is 17th May 2023.

For more information, see www.irishfoodawards.com

Cookbook – The Gourmand's Egg

A collection of stories and recipes published by Taschen – a fascinating scholarly work with lots of stories, quotes and recipes – could be a perfect Easter present.