Cured Duck Egg Yolks

Do you ever find yourself preparing a recipe that calls for egg whites, forcing you to come up with a plan for the yolks? Of course, cured egg yolks are so amazing, it might be the other way around: cure a batch of yolks and freeze the whites in ice cube trays for later use!

I prefer to cook and bake with duck egg yolks, they are easier to digest than chicken eggs. Plus, the yolks are slightly larger, so they are perfect for this project.

When grated, these feathery, vibrant yellow curls literally melt in your mouth and taste like salty liquid gold! I have a list of all the ways I want to use them – starting with oven-roasted asparagus drizzled with fresh squeezed lemon juice.

INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 cups organic cane sugar
2 cups kosher sea salt
10 fresh duck egg yolks

PREPARATION

In a medium bowl, combine the salt and sugar. Spread half of the salt mixture in the bottom of a small glass or ceramic baking dish (approximately 8″ x 6″).

Using the back of a tablespoon, make ten evenly spaced indentations in the salt mixture.

Carefully place a raw egg yolk in each depression.

Carefully sprinkle the remaining salt mix over top of the yolks, making sure they are completely covered. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for four days.

Gently brush the salt off of each egg and run under cool running water to remove the remaining salt. Yolks will be semi-firm, bright and translucent, with a gummy-like texture. Gently pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees F. Generously coat a wire rack with avocado oil and set it on top of a rimmed baking sheet; place yolks on rack. Dry yolks in oven until opaque and texture is like a firm Gruyère cheese, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Let cool before refrigerating. Note: If your oven doesn’t go as low as 150 degrees, you can dry out eggs in an unheated oven for two days. Just don’t forget they’re in your oven!

Using a microplane, grate cured egg yolks over soups, pastas, roasted veggies, fried rice, or salads as you would a hard cheese…really the sky’s the limit!

NOTES

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Cured egg yolks will keep for one month.

If you make this recipe, snap a pic of your dish and hashtag it #kellylenihancooks. I'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

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