New takes on classic egg recipes 

Article by K.M. Wehrstein / Photography by Tomasz Szumski

Spring is here and Easter approaches, putting us in mind of a humble ingredient without which some of cuisine’s most divine recipes could not exist: the egg. Delectable even unseasoned, wrapped in its own natural packaging, the chicken egg has certain unique properties and flavours it can impart to dishes.

Eggs are the business of Brian Currie, co-owner with his wife Andrea, of Currie’s Corner Farm near Huntsville. Raised on a dairy farm near Bracebridge, Currie had a career in computers but upon retirement returned to his farming roots by buying a hundred-acre lot. He started raising chickens around 2016 and now has a flock of 300 Rhode-Island-Red-hybrid layers.

Not only do the Curries sell free-range eggs – about 100 dozen a week, all year – as well as free-range chicken meat and beef on the farm, but they provide the only egg-grading service between Newmarket and Powassan. What does this mean? ‘Candling’ the eggs to check for flaws, weighing them to categorize them properly into the standard sizes, having the facility inspected twice a year and filling out lots of government forms – but the reward, of course, is quality.

“Chickens are pretty easy to maintain, as long as you have shelter for them.” Once out on land, he notes, “they eat anything that moves.” They will keep an area of meadow thoroughly mowed, and even perform a public service by pecking mosquitoes out of the air.

It’s this free-range diet, especially the grass, that gives free-range eggs their deeper yolk colour, and a flavour Currie describes as “a bit richer, a fuller taste.”

Now let us turn to chef and caterer Randy Spencer of Spencer’s Culinary Creations for breakfast: an enhanced eggs Benedict created exclusively for Unique Muskoka.

Accounts of the origin of eggs Benedict differ except that it was first prepared in New York City in 1894. The sauce used for the dish is traditionally hollandaise. Spencer uses béarnaise instead, both because his wife Karen much prefers it and because the tarragon – plus two other innovative ingredients – add more flavour. To the whole dish he adds spinach (inspired perhaps by eggs Florentine), two other flavour-intense vegetables and, spectacularly, smoked trout. Acquired locally, of course, from Milford Bay Trout Farm.

“The trout is hardy. It stands up to the sweet red pepper and onion,” Spencer says. Don’t warm up the fish, he recommends. “It’s nicer cold because that complements the warmth of the hot eggs.”

For eggs Benedict generally, the sauce’s sourness is crucial in enhancing the delicate flavours of the bread and eggs and uniting them with the meatiness of the peameal, or in this case, trout. Spencer’s béarnaise lingers on your tongue as a pleasant tart memory long afterward, and the whole dish’s multiple flavour layers work brilliantly together. Don’t leave the dill garnish on the plate – it adds to the dish’s flavours too!

Now let’s head down to Basilico at the Inn at the Falls in Bracebridge and an entrée courtesy of Chef John Cooper. He worked in the Inn’s restaurant many moons ago, 2009 and 2010 to be exact, and returned this Feb. 1 after many years at The Old Station and other places. “They let me do whatever I want and it’s 300 yards from my house,” he says happily.

A carbonara dish is mandatory for an Italian-themed restaurant, he feels. “I’d be kind of disappointed to go to an Italian place that didn’t have it.” Accordingly, his carbonara is on the Basilico menu for 2024.

“It’s a very traditional recipe and a classic execution,” he says, noting that carbonara was originally made with guanciale, that is, pork cheek, and now more often uses bacon. “My only additions are the leeks and tomatoes, because it’s too much heavy without something fresh, and also for colour. The tomatoes add a lot.”

Basilico diners, Cooper says, “are saying nothing but nice things” about this dish, and you can taste why. The carbonara sauce is subtle, almost not there, but adds a warm mouth feel – one of those properties of eggs mentioned previously. Lovely little chewy bits of Grana Padano and pancetta along with still-juicy tomatoes make the flavour and texture experience comprehensive and complete.

But wait… what to do with the leftover egg whites, so they don’t go to waste? Meringue for lemon or other meringue pie is an obvious possibility, and you can even make it crispy if you know what you’re doing, which can evolve into pavlovas. There are various cakes that call for whites to lighten up a batter (another special property).

Or, like Basilico bartender Nick Watson, you can make a Basilico Spiced Sour. It’s based on the traditional sour, spiced up especially for Basilico. It is more sophisticated than your average mixed drink in its complexity, combining tart, burning, spicy and sweet with the head the egg whites produce for a drink that has it all.

Say “top-of-the-line egg-based dessert” and what comes to mind immediately? For me it’s crème brûlée. This is true also of Grace Willows, co-owner with her husband Dan of Windmill Bakery in Huntsville, and from them as well we will get both traditional and innovative versions of an iconic dish.

“Last spring/summer we were looking for another dessert,” Willows recounts. “We knew we had people who needed dairy-free, so we finally came up with coconut crème brûlée.” The bakery also sells regular crème brûlée of late, inspired by an “excellent” recipe from her sister-in-law Sharon.

On paper, with just five ingredients thrown together for the filling, crème brûlée is deceptively simple. The trick is in the execution.

“You have to get the consistency right,” advises Willows. “You might have to try it a few times to figure it out. It took us a few tries.” So have patience and be prepared for some errors among your trials.

Windmill’s regular crème brûlée has the typical French kind of flavour, a richness that wraps around your tongue like a warm embrace, and a consistency like clouds, while sweetness comes almost like punctuation in the crackle of the sugar brûlée. This may be the greatest dish ever for sheer contrast of textures. The coconut version is not at all overpowered by coconut flavour as sometimes happens with coconut desserts but offers it quite delicately.

 

Eggs Benedict Muskoka

– Randy Spencer, exclusive for Unique Muskoka 

Ingredients

(Makes 4 portions)

8 whole eggs

4 large everything bagels or 8 smaller bagels, sliced in half widthwise and toasted.

Cream cheese,

as desired

½ cup sweet red pepper sliced finely in 1½ inch strips

¼ cup onion fine sliced in 1½ inch strips

12 ounces fresh spinach (“I prefer the crinkly type rather than the baby.”)

2 cloves minced garlic

Dash each salt and fresh ground pepper

2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbsp butter

8 to 10 ounces Milford Bay Trout Farm smoked trout fillet(s) cut into 1-inch strips (approximately 1 oz. per slice)

Fresh dill for garnish

2 litres water brought to a simmer with ¼ cup vinegar.

 Method

• Sauté the sweet pepper, onion and garlic in the butter; do not cook too much as you only want to cook to tender. Add spinach, cover and steam for a few minutes then drain off excess moisture. Season with salt and pepper, mix in lemon juice and set aside until ready to assemble the dish.
• Poach your eggs to desired doneness, less a few levels to compensate if you’re going to brown under your broiler for a brief moment (this gives a rather nutty flavour to your Benny’s).
• On a tray assemble each half-bagel, spread with some cream cheese over each, divide vegetable mixture amongst each bagel and top with poached eggs – two eggs per bagel if using large bagels, one egg per bagel if using small.
• Top each egg with a spoon full of béarnaise sauce.
• Complete au gratin, if desired: brown under broiler, watching closely as it does not take long.
• Remove from oven and top each portion with smoked trout and a nice garnish of fresh dill sprigs.

For regular eggs Benedict: use a halved English muffin and a slice of peameal bacon as the base for the egg.

Chef’s Tips

“Both these dishes go great served with a side salad or your favourite home-fried potato.”

• How to poach eggs without them sticking to the pan edges: stir the water into a whirlpool in the pan and drop them in the centre.
• Smoked salmon can be substituted for trout.
• Dairy-free version: “Just use the vegetables and smoked trout with the egg, without butter or sauce.”

Sauce Béarnaise

Ingredients

3 egg yolks

¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

Dash of salt

½ tsp dry tarragon, finely chopped

1½ Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp water

4 oz. melted butter

Dash each Tabasco sauce &

 Worcestershire sauce

 Method

• Combine all ingredients except melted butter in a 1-litre stainless steel or heatproof glass bowl.
• Over a pot of simmering water, whisk ingredients until creamy in consistency. Go slow and remove from heat periodically so as not to let the sauce get too hot and scramble the yolks. 

• Remove from heat and slowly whisk in butter to incorporate into sauce.

 Grana Padano

Carbonara with Pancetta and Leeks

– John Cooper

Servings: 4

Ingredients

350 g fettuccine noodles

150 g pancetta, finely diced

2 leeks, thinly sliced

1 cup heirloom grape tomatoes,

halved

4 large egg yolks

1 cup grated Grana Padano cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Olive oil

 Method

Prepare the pasta

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Cook the fettuccine noodles according to package instructions until al dente.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water, and set aside.

Cook the pancetta, leeks and tomatoes

• In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
• Add the diced pancetta to the skillet and cook until crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove the pancetta from the skillet and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the sliced leeks and minced garlic. Cook until the leeks are softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the halved heirloom grape tomatoes to the skillet and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the Carbonara sauce

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, grated Grana Padano cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

 Assemble the dish

• Return the cooked pasta to the pot over low heat.
• Add the cooked pancetta and leeks to the pot with the pasta, tossing to combine. Remove from the heat.
• Slowly pour the carbonara sauce over the pasta while continuously tossing to coat evenly. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up.
• Continue tossing until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Place tomato halves evenly spread on pasta.

 Serve

• Divide the Grana Padano carbonara pasta among serving plates.
• Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and an extra sprinkle of grated Grana Padano cheese, if desired.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Wine pairing: Tarà Pecorino (white)

 Basilico Spiced Sour

– Nick Watson

 1 ounce bourbon

.75 ounces Calvados

.75 ounces spiced simple syrup

.75 ounces lemon/lime juice

1 egg white (approximately 1 ounce)

Dash of Angostura bitters

1 apple chip (sliced fine like a potato  chip, and cooked)

 Chill a martini glass with ice

• Add all ingredients except bitters to shaker and dry shake for 1 minute (or shake by hand).
• Add ice to shaker and shake an additional 30 seconds.
• Remove ice from glass and strain drink into it.
• Float 3 drops of Angostura bitters on top.
• Add apple chip to garnish.

 Coconut Crème Brûlée

– Grace Willows

 Makes four portions using a 4-inch cup; about 100 g each.

Ingredients

400 g or 14 ounces coconut cream

4 large egg yolks

50 g or ¼ cup regular sugar

½ tsp salt

4 g or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Whisk egg yolk, sugar, and salt until smooth.
• Heat cream in a pot until slight bubbles appear around the edge, then take off heat.
• Slowly mix the cream into the egg yolk mixture with a spoon until thoroughly mixed, then add vanilla and mix.
• Pour into four ramekins and place into a pan, then add water to a depth of half the height of ramekins.
• Bake until slightly jiggly in the centre and showing little brown patches (about 30 minutes).
• Remove from water bath and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate covered for at least two hours (to set).
• Sprinkle with coarse (crystalline) sugar to desired amount, then heat sugar with kitchen blow-torch (or regular blow-torch, set low) until is brown and bubbling. It will then fuse into a solid crust.

 Baker's Tips

• For regular crème brûlée, simply substitute 1½ cups whipping cream for coconut cream.
• To make coconut cream out of canned coconut milk: refrigerate can so it separates out, and use the remaining cream. “Thickness is what you’re looking for.”
• Do not boil the cream. “This is the secret to crème brulée: not letting the eggs cook yet. You want to make it smooth and homogenous.”
• Portions without the sugar can be frozen for later use.
• Brown sugar can be used (and imparts its special flavour) so long as it’s coarse. Fine sugar tends to burn up rather than melt nicely.
• Don’t take the servings straight from oven to fridge; “they tend to sweat.”