Salt Cured Egg Yolks

Left: Pickled Cured Egg Yolks, Right: Salt Cured Egg Yolks- I will redo this picture soon so it doesn’t look so bad.

·       1 ¾ C Kosher Salt

·       1 ¼ C Sugar

·       2 t dried thyme

·       2 each Bay leaves

·       2 t rosemary

·       4 large Egg Yolks

·       Vegetable Spray

Note: You can empty out the spice cabinet for this recipe. The aromatics included in this recipe can be changed or taken out entirely.

Let’s get to it:

1.       Whisk the salt and sugar together and sprinkle in the aromatics.

2.       Spread half of the mixture out on an 8x8 inch glass dish. Then take two fingers and create four depressions in the salt sugar mixture.

3.       Carefully crack an egg into your hand over a bowl, letting the egg white separate completely from the yolk. Then carefully place the yolk into a depression. (Save the egg white!)

4.       Sprinkle the last of the sugar and salt mixture over the yolks to completely cover them.

5.       Wrap the dish with plastic (leaving a vent so moisture can escape) and refrigerate for about 72 hours without checking or moving the egg yolks.

6.       Preheat the oven to 150F (65C).

7.       Use a pastry brush to remove the salt from the yolk, and rinse under cold water and pat dry.

8.       Set a wire rack into a rimmed baking sheet and liberally spray with vegetable oil.

9.       The goal of this recipe is to dry out the yolks, so after using the salt and sugar to pull out most of the moisture, you finish the dehydrating process by baking for 1 1/2 – 2 hours until slightly hardened.

Allow the yolks to cool, and finely grate over pastas or salads for a delicious garnish.

If you want an out of the ordinary flavor added to these yolks, I recently read an article from Chefs Feed that interviewed a scientist about the effect of pineapple on eggs. It gave me the idea to quick pickle egg yolks before salt curing them.

·       ½ C Rice Wine Vinegar

·       ¾ C Pineapple Juice

·       1 C Soy Sauce

·       ¼ C Granulated Sugar

·       4 Egg Yolks

1.       Add all ingredients but the yolks together in a pot over medium heat and cook until sugar dissolves and small bubbles form.

2.       Separate the pickling liquid equally into four containers.

3.       Separate the yolks from the whites of the egg by cracking the egg into your hand over a bowl and letting the white fall away into it. Gently place the egg yolk into one of the containers with pickling liquid. Let sit for 1 hour., using a spoon or shaking slightly to cover the top of the yolks with the pickling liquid.

4.       While the yolks pickle, start the salt cure listed above with no thyme, bay leaves or rosemary. Spread half of the salt cure out onto an 8x8 pan and make four divots for the yolks to rest in.

5.       Carefully scoop the yolks out of the liquid. The yolk should have developed a skin and may wrinkle when moved.

6.       Transfer each yolk immediately to a divot in the salt cure. Sprinkle the rest of the cure over the yolk to cover completely and let cure normally in the refrigerator for 72 hours.

7.       Follow the above directions to finish the cure.