Cloud eggs are quick meringues, a little hard on the outside and cloud-like on the inside. And oh-so-deliciously-delicious.
You know how some people just can't handle cooking? How it makes their heads spin and brings out their frustrations? Kind of like road rage, but directed at food and oneself?
That's often how I feel about Pinterest. I have made it my mission to try some of the really cool looking foods and kitchen hacks and report on them. MANY are complete failures. Like the oven dried strawberries. That was $4.00 down the drain. Or the butter-on-the-counter-with-a-hot-glass-over-it-to-quickly-soften trick. That was a complete failure.
But cloud eggs are something entirely different. I was worried that these magical looking eggs would just turn to soppy, scary oven nightmares. But these are actually Alton Brown worthy alchemy breakfast wins.
I tried a few variations and methods before perfecting my favorite recipe. There are some caveats, though.
1) You must eat them IMMEDIATELY. They are disgusting if you wait too long.
2) The texture might get you. These are quick meringues and are a little hard on the outside and cloud-like on the inside. If you are a texture person, I suggest serving these over well-buttered toast or with some crispy bacon or lardons. Even if you aren't a texture person, I suggest doing this because it's freaking delicious.
3) You might like your yolk more done. I don't understand you, but I can respect that. We don't all have to like the same things, even though it would be so much easier if we did.
So, here are the super simple directions/instructions. You can do this. You can wow your people with these, or just surprise yourself with how amazingly well you overcome your kitchen rage and harness the power of Good Eats.
Ingredients:
5 eggs (Use more if you need them, less if you don't. My personal max is two.)
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Separate your eggs. This is a thing that confounds people, but I have a fool-proof way to do this. Get two smallish bowls, one for your whites, one for your yolks. Crack your egg. Remove the top and gently pour whole egg into one hand. Allow your fingers to part slightly, and the white will slip through while your fingers cradle the yolk. You can switch hands to speed up this process. Check out the video below for a quick tutorial.
Once your eggs are separated, put your whites in a mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer. You can do this by hand but I don't think you hate yourself that much.
As your egg whites begin to look fluffy and a little glossy, add your herbs, salt and pepper. Mix until you get stiff peaks. The egg whites should be able to easily hold their shape.
Take two spoons and create tall, cylindrical clouds on a parchment lined baking sheet. This takes a little finesse, but it's not hard. Be sure to create little depressions in the middle of each cloud for the yolk.
Bake at 425 degrees for 2-3 minutes, or until just set. Remove from oven and carefully spoon one yolk per cloud. Bake for another 3-5 minutes until your yolk is cooked to perfection. Perfection for me is three minutes. I like runny yolks. It's controversial, I know.
