Author: Galina Gosteva
The popularity of cured egg yolk, which not only chefs have been experimenting with for the past three years, using them as a kind of seasoning - a natural flavor enhancer, made them be mentioned in the "2017 trends".
I warn you right away - phobias about salmonella and cholesterol are not here.
The idea itself arose, as they say, from Chinese cuisine with its thousand-year-old and simply salted eggs, with the difference that the eggs are not salted and fermented in their shells, pouring them with brine, but a dry salting of the yolks alone is used. There are even terms similar to Italian salted mullet or bluefin tuna (egg's bottarga) or salted salmon from Scandinavia (graved eggs). But this is in the west. We salted roach and any small fish in general and, of course, lard.
The technology and the execution itself are extremely simple and generally accessible to anyone. In the process of "dry" salting of various durations (from 1 day to 2 weeks), water is removed from the yolks to one degree or another, of which there is quite a lot, about 70%. Fats remaining in the yolks (unsaturated and saturated fatty acids), proteins, a small amount of carbohydrates and vitamins are concentrated in the product, which, due to the removal of moisture, acquires a more concentrated “meaty” taste, which is so appreciated as an enhancer. The consistency also changes. Depending on the time of exposure and the residual amount of moisture, the yolk thickens and takes on the properties of a thick sauce, a spreadable paste, or aged cheese, which can be cut or grated.
Let's get started.
The curing mixture usually consists of salt and sugar. Most often, the recommended proportion is 50/50 by weight. There is a ratio of 75% salt / 25% sugar. But it seemed too sweet to me, and I took 80% / 20%.
For salting, or rather dehydrating the yolks, you will need a lot of mixture. The recipes are different, but on average 6-10 yolks require about 1-1.2 kg of curing mixture. In my case, I mixed it thoroughly - 800g of simple rock salt and 200g of regular sugar.
Pour half of the salt into a non-oxidizing container of a suitable size, so that the layer on the bottom is at least 1 cm.
And make grooves for each egg. Wash the eggs thoroughly with warm water and separate the whites from the yolks.
I decided to experiment and diversify the taste of eggs a little. I put ¼ tsp in each hole. seasonings. In this case, dried garlic in two depressions, chili seasoning in the other two, and left two as they are.
After spreading the yolks, I sprinkled them on top for another ¼ tsp. seasonings.
And she fell asleep with the second half of the salt.
I covered them with foil leaking and put them in the refrigerator for a week.
A week later, "dug up".
And wiped off excess salt with a damp cloth. In principle, they can already be used.
But the chefs recommend that the yolks be rinsed completely from salt and dried in the oven at a temperature of 100C for a couple of hours. (I think this partly removes the risk of Salmonella.) Special gourmets recommend slightly smoked eggs.
I used a dryer and left the yolks at 65C for 4 hours.
The final product has a “cheesy” consistency, a pronounced salty “meaty” or “umami” taste. Garlic and chili are easy to read in the aroma.
It is recommended to store it for up to a month in the refrigerator in a "breathing" container or in paper. You can also freeze by wrapping each separately in a film.
Now the main thing is why all this. Salty yellow works as a natural flavor enhancer and does not disappear, but, on the contrary, its nutritional value becomes more concentrated.
Chefs recommend grating such yolk 1pc per serving (you can also instead of salt):
- in pasta with or instead of cheese (or just pasta)
- slightly more liquid, smear yolk (after two days of aging) - in sauces such as mayonnaise and hollandaise and salad dressings
- in vegetable puree soups (or in green cabbage soup instead of the traditional egg)
- leafy salad
- boiled or steamed vegetables
Or something like this.
