Eggs for Every Meal

Each day I have the opportunity to speak with many guests and share my passion for food, wine, spirits and beer. A passion that I share with many guests is that there are two things that make everything better, pork and eggs. Now, I’m not just talking about the dishes that pork and eggs are in, these two fantastically rich and fatty items also make the many beverages we enjoy even more enjoyable. Today we’re focusing on the glory of eggs!

Americans can be weird about eggs. Now I’m not talking about the foodie, chef or adventurous media type, we know you (and I) all get excited about eggs on any dish. But for the most part, Americans feel that eggs are for breakfast and that’s it!?! What? Only eat eggs at breakfast? Ridiculous. If you look to cultures around the world, eggs are used in dishes through breakfast, lunch and dinner. One reason eggs are seen throughout the world’s dishes is because they are a good source of protein, at a fraction of the cost of meat. Today, in some of the most celebrated restaurants, including an egg to a dish adds a rich texture that lends a luxurious factor to already celebrated items such as mushrooms, pata negra, steak, seasonal salads and the list goes on.

In addition to being a fantastic part of any dish, eggs are an excellent pairing with the many beverages we enjoy, both wine and beer. Take the mimosa and brunch idea one step further, eggs and sparkling wine are brilliant together. The bubbles and acidity in sparkling wine cut the rich qualities in the eggs. Same concept with beer, I especially enjoy Goose Island Sofie with savory egg dishes. Both pairings are taken to the next level if the eggs are fried and served over pata negra! Eggs and mushrooms, grab a glass of pinot noir and watch the wine play very differently off the egg versus the mushrooms, especially if bacon is included.

So, what brought about this ‘Hey Americans need to get over their weird egg thing’? We recently were very honored to be a part of the Green City Market event at the Kurtis home, where our dish was a fried egg over pisto manchego (a Spanish dish made of tomatoes, onions, garlic, eggplant and olive oil; similar to ratatouille). You could tell guests were timid about the egg, maybe even scared but like one kid jumping off the bridge, once one guest enjoyed the dish many more followed. The dish used seasonal tomatoes, eggplant, olive oil, and the eggs of choice from Swan Creek Farms. It was wonderful to see guests enjoying the egg dish for a second and third time throughout the event with some of the local beer and wine being served.

Hopefully more Americans (and Chicagoans) will be “adventurous” and enjoy the luscious addition of an egg to the already fantastic dishes we enjoy with our favorite beer and wine. Cheers!