Slow Food makes for fast friends

The holiday gifts just keep giving. The latest in the form of lovingly prepared and savored food. My sister Paige and I have been talking about Slow Food for quite a while now, but we were a little slow to actually join. Conveniently, and under our direct guidance, our mother got us memberships this past holiday season.

Slow Food is an international movement with 100,000 members in 132 counties including one in our fair city of Reno. According to their website, Slow Food was founded in 1989 to “counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.” The mission of Slow Food Reno is to create a culture where the Great Basin Community promotes and advocates wholesome, clean and flavorful food.

We went to our first Slow Food Reno event on January 18–a potluck held at Buckbean Brewery. I must admit I wasn’t sure what to expect. Who would be there? Would I fit in? I had some preconceived ideas–everyone would be vegan and living in a yurt. Or at the very least vegetarian with a well-cultivated acre behind their house and, if you know me or have been following my blog, you know that I like (probably wouldn’t hurt to say love) meat and dairy. One look at the group that had gathered and the dishes they brought and I rejoiced. It was a wonderful eclectic gathering of people.

One of the topics I knew was going to be discussed was raising backyard chickens. So with that in mind I got some eggs from my friend Mike who raise chickens with her husband. They have a variety of breeds that produce beautiful eggs in various hues of green, blue, brown and speckled. 

Their beauty created a dilemma for me. I wanted to use both the eggs and the shells somehow. I knew it was possible to use an eggshell as a “container”. I have in the past cut the tops tipped the egg out boiled the shell to clean and then used it for cold salads even a shot glass once. But I wanted to experiment and see if I could cook in the shells. I took my favorite crème brulée recipe, filled the shells, used a cardboard egg carton in a pan with a water bath, baked and then once cooled, caramelized the tops. All went as planned, although I did learn to make a nest out of aluminum foil to hold the egg when caramelizing the sugar with a torch as the cardboard is quite flammable!

The eggshell may burn a little, but it just adds some color dimension if you want to make them really fancy dust the edges with edible gold or silver powder (can be found at bakery supply stores). The second “eggsperiment” I did was a black truffle egg custard, this was almost the last of the truffles I brought back from a spring trip to France– so sad to see them gone, but so divine in the going. The eggs seemed to be a big hit with the people at my table. The best feed back I go was that is was so RICH, it is best to only fill your eggshells a little over half full. Keep this in mind if you follow the recipes below.

Before I sign off I wanted to let you know Dan and Doug out at Buckbean Brewery have a great set up with some really awesome beers, many of which are available around town at various grocery stores and restaurants. It is worth the trip to go out to the brewery and see how your beer is made and who is making it. Buckbean is also very active in our community. If you are a food lover, come to the next Slow Food Reno potluck, you don’t have to be a member to come to the potlucks, but I am pretty sure you’ll want to join afterwards.

Black Truffle Egg Custard

Preheat oven to 275°

12 servings

12 empty eggshells – you can use an egg topper to cut off the tops over a sharp serrated knife (if using a knife I recommend setting the egg on its side on a wet towel)

Save contents of three of the eggs for recipe (other nine refrigerate for another use)

1 C milk

1 C heavy cream

1 ½ to 2 ¼ TBLS truffle oil

salt and pepper

Garnish: fresh chives, shaved black truffle

1. Heat the milk and cream together in a saucepan till it boils immediately remove from heat and pour into a blender (or food processor) and turn on.  Drizzle truffle oil in then add the three eggs a pinch of salt and pepper blend until well combined.

2. Strain the mixture through a chinois (a very fine mesh strainer) into a pitcher.  Let sit and skim off foam that rises to the top (about 5 to 10 minutes).  Pour the mixture into the eggshells (1/2 full).  Prop them up in a cardboard egg carton in a baking dish.  Fill the dish up to halfway up the outside of the eggshells with hot water (this makes a Bain Marie).  Cover the pan with a lid and bake for 40 to 45 minutes (I didn’t have a pan with a lid large enough to do all the eggs I wanted too so I just sealed it with aluminum foil and it worked fine)

3. Garnish with chive and black truffle, serve warm or at room temperature.

More of those Italian recipes from my class at Arte Italia coming soon.