Books, Yarn, Ink and Other Pursuits

Feb 15, 2012

Review: The Fresh Egg Cookbook by Jennifer Trainer Thompson


The Book:


With the prevalence of backyard chicken owners, farmers markets and local farms, having access to fresh eggs is much easier than it has been. In fact, if you own chickens, sometimes you wonder what you can do with all of them. Fear no more, as The Fresh Egg Cookbook will take you "From Chicken to Kitchen" and give you a wealth of recipes to choose from.





The Yarn:

The Fresh Egg Cookbook comes at a time when more and more people are becoming chicken owners and finding themselves with a surplus of eggs. In her introduction, Jennifer Trainer Thompson details her journey to becoming a chicken owner in Western Massachusetts. Before launching into recipes, Thompson discusses good breeds for eggs and other questions about eggs that others may have.

The chapters outline the "Classics" of egg use in condiments like mayonnaise and Bearnaise sauce, then onto the meals. The ranges of soft- to hard-boiled eggs to the Tex-Mex migas, fried egg sandwiches to a wild mushroom ragout with poached eggs will please many. Thompson also gives ideas for what to do with those big excesses, with recipes for deviled eggs and pickled eggs. Chapters on vegetarian dishes and desserts round out the recipes. Interspersed in the chapters are vignettes about her own experiences with raising chickens. Colorful photographs of both family and food provide a great backdrop to the text.

The Fresh Egg Cookbook is a welcome addition to specialized cooking manuals. By no means exhaustive, a nice range of recipes is included. While most of the text is devoted to the meals that can be made, the personal stories are fun and make a great addition to an already lovely cookbook.


The Ink:

Title: The Fresh Egg Cookbook: From Chicken to Kitchen: Recipes for Using Eggs from Farmers' Markets, Local Farms and Your Own Backyard
Author: Jennifer Trainer Thompson
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Date: February 2012
Read: NetGalley e-ARC (provided by publisher)

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