You can fry them, shir them, scramble or roll them up. Is there a more versatile food at your fingertips? It's that incredible egg, long on the upswing after its battering on the health front.
But everyday eggs can be so, well, everyday, always pleasant and comforting, with a predictability and demeanor that might as well whisper, "It's time to wake up."
But when morning takes on grander importance, for those celebrations when you want to shout "Welcome!" to the day — whether it's Easter or any of the spring gatherings where guests gather around the table — the egg can be dressed for company.
Consider the roulade, a curlicue of egg, cheese and vegetables. Made from a batter that cooks in a jelly-roll pan, the eggs become nearly as firm as a crêpe, with a topping of good stuff that's added before it's rolled up. The roulade is a bit time-consuming, but it's definitely worth the effort for the "wow" factor alone. And if it's the only dish on the menu that needs some last-minute attention, you are set.
Or think simple but dressed up, on the order of scrambled eggs on bruschetta. The key is in the scrambling (don't do much of it). Oh, and the cream cheese in the mixture. Add your choice of topping — shrimp, salmon, a bit of lobster — and this will look as good as it tastes.
Then there's the shirred egg, an everyday kind of dish that's turned on its head when cooked with cream and lemon and anything else you might want to add.
If there are too many at the table to fuss with individual eggs, a crustless quiche — creamy and filled with vegetables — is a grand way to fill out the menu.
Whatever the option, morning couldn't taste better. □
