The Egg

The Egg. A universal symbol of fertility and birth. It’s also a self contained, self sufficient source of energy and a protective incubator for its potential inhabitant. For us humans, it’s also a near perfect food. It can find its way into any meal of the day, and is comfortable both acting solo and as a supporting cast member, not to mention that it responds favorably to nearly every cooking method imagineable. With its amazing physical properties, it performs dozens of mechanical tasks in our day to day cooking, to such an extent that I think we tend to take it for granted. And I don’t think any other foodstuff- perhaps with the exception of bread, but we’ll save that for another post- is the subject of as many clichés, metaphors, or allegories.

This reflection on the humble egg seems like a fitting way to hatch this whole blogging project of mine. So, welcome to what will be an ongoing series of personal observations and investigations, a way to share, with amateur enthusiasts and other professionals alike, insights and recipes and a behind-the-scenes perspective of life in the kitchen.

In a way, the egg has been very important to my career…

Some 7 years ago, as the pastry chef at Tribute, a restaurant in my hometown of Deroit, a signature dish was born. Now, I don’t think any chef ever actually intends on creating such a dish, but nonetheless, this dessert follows me to this day, 4 years after moving to New York City and Le Bernardin. It is known simply as “The Egg”, and its inception and inspiration are still a little cloudy. Quite likely it was that other famous egg, the amuse bouche at Arpege in Paris, or perhaps I had seen some of Michel Richard's eggshell desserts, or the numerous eggs playfully presented by David Burke. In any case, I felt that nature’s perfect container was an alluring and under-exploited vehicle.

I do know that the real catalyst was finding the tool with which the tops of these eggs are removed. This stainless steel spring-loaded contraption is by far the most efficient at getting this most difficult task completed. Most first experiments never see the dining room, but I think I hit on this one with the first shot. Doing a custard of some sort was a no-brainer- all those emptied eggs had to go somewhere! With a chocolate custard, caramel logically followed: in warm liquid form, and as a foam (I think the egg topper and the foam canister were purchased on the same shopping trip!). Maple, that was definitely Alain Passard’s voice in my head, and salt, now quite common as an overt accent in desserts, was at the time still a novel idea.

One appeal of  “The Egg” is simply the element of surprise and its dramatic presentation, as it arrives at the table cradled in a porcelain egg cup, complete with a tiny silver spoon. As a pre-dessert, the portion size is rather small, but by design; I kind of like the idea of someone wanting just one more bite! What really makes this dessert special is the result, a synergy greater than the sum of its parts. The different textures and flavors find their ultimate harmony with the addition of flaky Maldon salt, the key ingredient of “The Egg”.

Today at Le Bernardin, “The Egg” often appears unexpectedly as a special treat for our guests, as there has never been any mention of it on any printed dessert menu. That said, we still produce anywhere from 50-100 on a daily basis. And yes, we still expect to break one or two out of each dozen!

The definitive recipe appears below. For the home cook, it does require a moderate investment of time and equipment, however, beyond the initial opening of the eggs, the individual components themselves are really quite simple, and can be prepared up to a day or two in advance of serving.

For general information about this and all future recipes, please refer to About The Recipes. Where applicable, I’ve also provided sources for hard to find ingredients or equipment in Resources

And for what it’s worth, you can watch a short clip of my recent demo of “The Egg” on iVillage.com.

Thanks for reading this far, and please check back for more installments!

Download egg_recipe.pdf

Comments

[Dorie]

Michael, it's so very exciting that you've launched your own blog. It's beautiful, thoughtful, instructive and inspiring. I'm looking forward to being a frequent visitor.

[Petra]

I really like the idea of this great dessert!

[laurie]

While, I think Im too much of a novice to make this dessert, it sure is a gorgeous one.

Congrats on your blog!

[RuthWells]

Very cool! Welcome to the blogosphere -- I will be a frequent visitor. : )

[Victoria]

What a beautiful blog and fascinating post. How generous of you to share this with us. I hope you enjoy this endeavor. You will surely be happily surprised at the feeling of community and connectedness you will feel with all of us who love to cook at home. Thank you.

[Mara]

Blogs from established chefs/cooks (Ms. Greenspan comes to mind..) are such a boon for all us regular joes out there! I'm delighted to have another resource from a person with impeccable taste and skill to gather skills, inspiration and recipes from. I hope you enjoy your new blog, we will all most certainly enjoy reading it.

[ChrisBliss]

Greetings from Dubai, United Arab Emirates!

Love your post! made myself some desserts with an egg; baked cheesecake in an egg!

[Ore]

Great Recipe! I'm Looking forward to making this over the weekend!

Thanks and good luck with the blog!

Ore

[hakim]

I had this at Le Bernardin in the summer of 2006. I was at a table of six and it blew us all away. Thanks

[Nina]

Welcome to the world of blogging! I'm so glad that you've joined us - I've admired your desserts for some time, and am looking forward to your observations and investigations!

[Tablebread]

Welcome to the blogging world. I am adding you to my blogroll straight away!

http://tablebread.blogspot.com

Again, welcome to the blogosphere!!!

[Alana]

Hi Michael,
Congratulations on launching your own blog. I look forward to visiting often and seeing what is going on in NYC. I really miss it!

[chris]

You actually inspired me about 7 years ago. I dined at Tribute in '02 and took the "egg" inspiration back to Traverse City with me. It was however "Bacon and Eggs" that appeared as the amuse on my menu. It has since been re-inveted with savory and sweet options. It was also a time whn Chefs Tramanto and Gand and Thomas Keller push toward "just a bite" and the culinary Law of Diminshing Returns was hitting home for cooks :) Never knew who you were until I read the post and put 2 and 2 together. Thanks for inspiration. Peace, Love and Chicken Grease.