Duck Eggs Are Delicious, and Great for Baking
THE OTHER NIGHT, David and I had dinner at the fabulous Alder Wood Bistro in Sequim. As you know, the Bistro buys the vast majority of our organic chicken and duck eggs. Recently, as our young ducks have started to lay, we’ve had a few more duck eggs than usual. Just in time for Tapas Tuesday, Bistro chef Gabriel Schuenemann came up with a deceptively simple, outrageously delicious dish to showcase them.
At first glance, you might have thought it was a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. But wait ... this is the Bistro, after all! Embedded in the smooth, creamy egg were shavings of Washington State black truffles, and the first bite confirmed our initial impression: The eggs were positively swimming in butter. Nestled alongside them were thin crispy crouton slices large enough to pile a couple bites of truffly eggs on top. The combination of super-fresh, melt-in-your-mouth tender eggs with crunchy croutons and quantities of warm butter sliding seductively down your chin ... oh, boy!
Duck eggs aren’t always easy to find, but if you do, it’s well worth trying them. We’re often asked what the difference is between duck and chicken eggs. Aside from the size — our duck eggs average over three ounces, compared to the standard two-ounce large chicken egg — our general impression is that duck eggs have a somewhat milder taste and are richer and creamier. The whites of duck eggs also have higher viscosity than chicken eggs; this makes them a great choice for baking, especially in recipes where the eggs are separated. The baker at the Bistro likes to use our duck eggs for the Chocolate Bliss, a wonderful flourless, gluten-free brownie.
Over the past year, we increased the size of our duck-laying flock, mainly to keep up with the needs of the Bistro. There is also increasing interest in duck eggs around here; we’ve heard from a number of people who want to buy them as soon as we have any extra to sell. Although they naturally cost more than chicken eggs, no one seems to mind; their size and quality, along with relative scarcity, adds up to good food value. And like all our birds, the ducks are fed organic grains and free-range on pasture during the day.
A while back we lost several of our ducks. They usually headed down the hill to the bog in the morning, spending most of the day there, then coming back up for a bedtime snack before being tucked into their coops for the night. Around the time of a recent rash of bobcat attacks, the ducks suddenly stopped going down to the bog. We’re not sure why this happened, although David’s theory is that because one of the ducks was killed by some predator down there, the others are avoiding that area. Whatever the reason, I’m just happy that they’re hanging around closer to the house now; besides knowing that they are safer, I find it’s much easier to collect their eggs when they lay them in their coops!
When laying ducks are up to full production, they are very prolific. Khaki Campbell ducks, so we hear, can average 340 eggs per year; that’s more than most chickens lay, even in their prime. And when we have more duck eggs than the Bistro can use, other customers are always waiting in the wings, so to speak.
Chef Gabriel also does amazing things with our chicken eggs. Recently he came up with a gorgeous salad that has smoked salmon, pickled onions and a poached egg on top. Delicious. Most of our chicken and duck eggs are used in their desserts, though: my favorite crème brûlée, their seasonal organic carrot cake, an incredible hazelnut torte and various seasonal fruit tarts, among others. (See Appendix B for more information about the Alder Wood Bistro.)
We love our ducks, and we love the Alder Wood Bistro! They buy so many of our eggs that our standard joke is that we have to go to the Bistro to have some of our own eggs. It’s worth it, though; we never know what Gabriel is going to come up with next. Committed to sourcing ingredients locally, he’s always willing to try things we suggest, such as the duck eggs. Even though we’re a small farm, we’re proud to have had a role in the success of our hard-working friends at the Alder Wood Bistro.