When was the last time you ate eggs for a meal other than breakfast — that wasn’t egg salad or deviled eggs? Chances are you haven’t explored the humble egg to its full culinary potential and have relegated it to mere omelets and scrambles. Revive your love of eggs by trying these two iconic egg dishes from other continents:
Baked Scotch eggs
This iconic U.K. snack is positively delicious, but it can take a lot of work to prepare. Luckily, this recipe shared by Jessica Walker on the Betty Crocker website gives an easy alternative by baking them instead of deep frying them.
Start by boiling four eggs using the technique you usually do, then peel the hard-boiled eggs and let them cool. While you’re waiting, mix 1 pound pork sausage with 1 teaspoon dried minced onion and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Form these into four patties that are all the same size. In a separate, smaller bowl, beat one raw egg well.
Here’s how you’ll assemble the eggs: Roll the hard-cooked eggs in all-purpose flour. Place each egg in the center of one of the flattened meat patties and shape the meat around the egg so it’s evenly coated. Dip the meat-covered egg in raw egg, spreading it evenly as needed, and then coat the egg with a layer of crispy bread crumbs.
Arrange the eggs on a greased sheet and bake them in the oven at 400 degrees until the sausage cooks, which usually takes around 35 minutes. Slice the eggs in half and serve with a drizzle of your favorite creamy sauce. If you want more than four servings, you can increase these measurements proportionally.
Egg tarts
Make eggs the star of your next dessert! This easy recipe from Tasty will guide you through making Hong Kong-style egg tarts. You’ll have to prepare the two halves of the recipe separately first: the pastry dough and the custard filling.
Start with the dough. Mix 2 cups cake flour, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 8 tablespoons softened butter. Gently start forming this into a delicate pastry dough. While doing this, add 2 tablespoons of beaten egg yolk to the dough. Form it into a ball, cover it in plastic wrap, and let it firm up in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Now, time for the custard! Dissolve 6 tablespoons sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt in 3/4 cup hot water. Once the water eventually cools to room temperature, add the remaining beaten egg yolk, plus 1/4 cup evaporated milk. To make the dessert even sweeter, add a dash of vanilla extract too. Stir all of this thoroughly and strain it before putting it in the fridge to chill.
Here’s how you put it all together. Split the dough into 16 allotments and press them into the troughs of a greased tart pan (alternatively, you can use a muffin pan, but a tart pan is definitely worth owning). After pressing the dough evenly around the corners, pour the custard into the middle. Do this for each tart until you have a full pan, then bake for 15-20 minutes in a 400-degree oven.
These are just two of the many unique egg recipes you can find from home and professional chefs online. Test them out and see if you can find a new favorite for your family.