Delicious Cured Egg Yolks

Intro: Delicious Cured Egg Yolks

Cured yolks can quickly add savory depth and complexity to a wide range of foods - they add a nice nutty umami flavor and a bright yellow that pops your dish visually.

The curing process relies on osmosis - water in the yolks works its way through the yolk membrane to the surrounding cure.

the result are firm yolks that lose a lot of water, which concentrates fat and flavor.

You can store them in a airtight container for about 4 weeks in the fridge, so it's fine to make them ahead!

The process of making them is dead simple!
wait, rinse, dry, and enjoy.

what to do with the simple-delicious- UMAMI-bomb?

Use the cured egg yolks just as you would with an aged hard cheese (like Gruyère), grating on top of soups, sandwiches, salads, pastas, and meats.

STEP 1: Getting Started

You'll need

4 eggs or 4 left over egg yolks

1 cup salt

1 cup sugar

Mix salt and sugar and pour half of the mixture into a small box with lid.

take one of the eggs and push 4 hollows into the salt-sugar mixture.

Note: I used Himalaya salt and brown cane sugar but that ain't necessary for your first attempt.

STEP 2: Add Egg Yolks

carefully crack the eggs open and separate the egg whites into a bowl

and let the egg yolks gently slide into the hollows you made before.

NOTE: there's a lot of great recipes for the egg whites - so don't waste them.

keep them refrigerated and use them within 3 to 4 days.

STEP 3: Cover the Yolks and Keep Refrigerated

Now carefully cover the yolks with the other half of the salt sugar mixture.

Close the lid or cover it with cling foil

place the prepared yolks in the refrigerator and wait for 4 days.

STEP 4: Rinse and Tap Dry

preheat your oven to 170ºF , 80ºC

You'll find the salt sugar mixture is now damp - almost wet- and it's time to save the yolks from their prison!

Brush the salt mixture off each yolk, then carefully rinse under cold water to remove any remaining salt

-the yolks will be semi-firm, bright, and translucent-

place them on a oven rack lined with a sheet of baking paper.

Carefully pat dry with paper towels

STEP 5: Dry

preheat your oven to 170ºF , 80ºC

place the rack in the oven and dry out the yolks for about 1,5 to 2 hours.

until the yolks are opaque and texture is like a firm aged cheese.

STEP 6: Grate - Slice - Enjoy and Create New Flavours

Now it's time to try the result!

- great taste - isn't it?

one of my favourite dishes to use the yolks is spaghetti carbonara but on salads it's great to - get experimental!

Store the yolks in an airtight container in the fridge - and enjoy within 4 weeks.

try curing them longer or shorter and create new flavours by adding herbs, and spices to your curing mixture, such as:

brown sugar

black pepper

katsuobushi - bonito flakes

cayenne

smoked salt

himalaya salt

rosemary

the possibilities are endless!

Comments

[jennavie]

If you burst the yolk in their little zatly and sugar hole is their any salvaging or is it over completely? Also... Does the salt and sugar need tipping up if you can see it looks 'damp' in areas?

[Mimikry]

i guess it's no problem if the yolk bursts, it might just don't look that pretty anymore ;)
you don't have to do anything with the salt and sugar mixture while curing - just let it happen :)
Good luck!

[DavidC620]

Eggs now in salt and sugar, due to clumsy fingers, only 3 out of 6 made it to this stage, so scrambled eggs for lunch...

[Mimikry]

scrambled eggs are not that bad eather :)

let me know hor the other 3 yolks turned out!

[DavidC620]

Turned out nicely, great work Mimikry. Tastes really good on asparagus

[acepilot]

I have just put my eggs in their salt sugar prison ,now the wait begins

[Mimikry]

what about your eggs?

did they turn out good ? - how did you like 'em?

[DavidC620]

Would it be possible to cure at cellar temperature (14 celcius) rather than fridge?

[Mimikry]

I guess thats no problem, eggs do normally fine with cellar temperature.

[Iamm1ckser]

would leaving the yolks longer in the salt make them dry out harder

Michael

[Mimikry]

Yes but you'll need more salt.

[SallyL19]

I was wondering if they were dried even longer and then stored in olive oil, would they last a lot longer, maybe for months?

[Mimikry]

Hmm, may work but I've never tried that.

[max3dlee]

I cant seem to find any recipes that use cured egg yolks as an ingredient. My searches all return how to make cured egg yolks, nothing in which they may be an ingredient. I see your suggestion to use them with carbonara instead of parm. I found one recipe that mentioned using them grated over fried foods. This, to me, suggests these are more of a condiment than an ingredient. Is this a correct assumption? If I'm wrong, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could point me toward recipes that use them! I really want to try this, but not sure how!! Thanks!

[Mimikry]

Yes, its more a condiment than an ingredient - by adding it to carbonara, it's not ment to replace Parmesan cheese but as an special extra.
I had it with pasta, salmon and broccoli sauce this week - see the picture for inspiration.
In fact the possibilities are unlimited - just try :)

[theboz1419]

I wonder what smoking them would do to the taste. Instead of the oven set up either a cold smoker with a big cardboard box and wood chips in a coffee can, using a clean soldering iron for generating the smoke. Or set a smoker to about 170°, if you are able to control your smokers temperature and smoke them for the two hours or so that's needed. I may have to try this

[Pottergirl]

What about using Sweet Smoked Paprika in the salt/sugar mixture?

[Mimikry]

I can imagine smoked yolks would be a great on a deluxe - burger or something similar...

Liquid smoke may do the trick as well - I would add that before curing almost like a marinade.

If you give it a try let us know :)

[sylviahamilton]

after preparing these up inc the grating of the finished product...could you then dehydrate them the rest of the way for longer storage? My chicken ladies give us an excess during the summer, would be great to preserve part of the eggs this way.

[makemesomecookies]

Eggs can be frozen, just do a web search (Google) for the process. I was surprised when I ran across that as a way to preserve excess eggs, but there were several sites with information about it so I can only assume it works.