My farmer’s market has an egg stand this year, which makes me extremely happy.  You can’t beat eggs that you know were laid days earlier by birds that live happy lives on pastoral fields, nudging grass and grubs and other pure treats from the earth.  Those are eggs as nature intended.

I am generally a chicken egg gal, but I just couldn’t resist the call of the giant, pastel-colored duck eggs that Kate brought with her from Golden Egg Farm in Hardwick, MA.  So I bought some, and learned a thing or two about our friend the duck egg.  For Foodie Friday, I’m sharing 4 fun-fact discoveries with you!

1.  Duck eggs are roughly double the size of chicken eggs, and one can be substituted for 2 chicken eggs in most recipes.

2.  Duck eggs have larger yolks than chicken eggs, making them perfect candidates for rich, delicious custards and other yolk-y fare.

3.  The whites in duck eggs are thicker and more viscous than in chicken eggs.  I’m dying to see what happens when I try to transform those whites into mirangue! 

4.  People who are allergic to eggs might actually be allergic only to chicken eggs.  Check with your doctor, but duck eggs might be an egg-y option.

Last week, I experimented with a fritatta using the duck eggs.  I’m someone who likes my scrambles fairly firm, so I guessed that all that extra-thick white and extra-large yolk would make for a lovely, easily-slice-able fritatta.  And man, do I love being right!

In a large skillet, I sauteed an onion and a big bunch of chopped fresh asparagus in some olive oil with salt and pepper.  I then poured 6 duck eggs (which I whisked together with a little milk, salt, and pepper) over the mixture and agitated it around the pan until it started to set up.

Then it went into a 350-degree oven (make sure you have oven-proof cookware) for about 6 minutes, when it looked just about set.  I then sprinkled some grated Parmesan cheese over the top and put on my broiler.  Another minute or two and the cheese was brown and bubbly, and the fritatta was ready to cool for a minute, wedge, and serve with a green salad.

Happy egg-ing!  Have you ever tried duck eggs?  Recipe success stories most welcome….