Would You Make/Eat These?

Admittedly, one of the reasons I subscribe to Bon Appetite is to be awed and amused by some of the things the editors propose we eat.  Not every month's issue comes through for us but the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner issue did.

We all know not to put the snacks in the kitchen where we're working; most guests know to at least volunteer with clean up; how to make lump-less gravy (use a whisk.)  Further tidbits - ask first if you can bring a dish and if so, bring it in a serving dish - don't make the host/hostess have to scramble to find one.   Odds are their own dish cabinets are empty.

Thanksgiving doesn't change much as we can see from the above.  And thank God it hasn't - I'm still making my Mother's menu and one of the items is the ubiquitous Green Beans and Mushroom Soup and Durkee's Onion Rings, served on the side from the container.  They get soggy otherwise.   "Tacky" some say (including my sister)  but "home" to me.  And that's what the day should mean, no matter how far away one is from it.

However, this recipe has nothing to do with what came before it - CURED EGG YOLKS.

When you've made an angel food cake or over-served Ramos gin fizzes, here's an idea from chef Christopher Kostow, of  St. Helena, CA.

Make a bed of:    1 3/4 cups kosher salt and 1 1/4 cups sugar, mixed, and use the back of a big spoon to make indentations in it.

Carefully place 4 egg yolks in the indentations, sprinkle leftover mix across them, wrap dish in plastic and store in the refrigerator for 4 days.

Then take them out, rinse under cold water, pat dry with paper towels and put them softly on a well greased rack in a larger pan.  Oven to 150  until the egg yolks dry to the consistency of a firm cheese and let cool.  If your oven won't go that low, leave them in the cold oven for two days.

Now you've got them - what to do with them?  Grate them as a finishing touch on asparagus, shave over white bean crostini, crumble over steamed vegetables or add to broth for more body. 

Overkill - shave over fried or boiled eggs.