Baked Duck Eggs with Chorizo

I was talking about duck eggs with Andrew Garrett on Twitter the other night.  He had just made a duck egg hollandaise sauce.  Dreamy!  I have never used duck at all – even duck eggs, so I decided to venture outside my box and do a little experimentation. So on Saturday at the Farmers Market I stopped by the SuDan Farm booth, at Andrew’s suggestion, and bought some duck eggs.  Six for $4.  I also picked up some chorizo from Olympic Provisions, a bunch of large shallots and some giant beefsteak tomatoes.

The sights and smells and bustling of the farmers market inspire me to reach the ultimate creative nirvana.  I smile just at the thought of it.  There really are no limits.  I usually end up buying a hodgepodge of things and miraculously, somehow they end up dancing together on my plate.  This week was no exception.

When I got home from the market, I sliced my tomatoes, doused them in olive oil, salt and pepper and slow roasted them at 325 for three hours.  The result is very near tomato candy.  The juice evaporates and concentrates the tomato flavor into bits of savory, sweet, chewy delight.

So, this morning as I thought about what to do with my beautiful duck eggs, the tomatoes came to mind.  And the shallots.  And the chorizo.  And, as usual, my cast iron skillets begged to be included.  Here is the creamy, salty, spicy, rich, absolute lovely result.

Baked Duck Eggs with Chorizo

1 shallot, sliced

1 T. butter

2 T. Spanish chorizo, diced

1 T. slow roasted tomato, diced

1 T. green olives, stuffed with jalapeno peppers, diced

2 t. olive oil

2 large duck eggs

1/4 c. heavy cream

2 T. toasted bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350.  Melt the butter in a small skillet and add the shallots.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until shallots are light brown and slightly crispy.  Add chorizo, tomato and olives.  Heat for about one minute over medium heat, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Drizzle olive oil into a miniature cast iron skillet.  Crack duck eggs, one at a time into a small bowl, then gently slide each one into the skillet.  Distribute the chorizo mixture evenly around the eggs.  Slowly pour heavy cream over everything.  Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.

Place cast iron skillet in the oven and bake at 350 for about 9 minutes.  Let cool slightly before eating.

Serves one.  I mean “two”.  Whatever.  Just eat it.

Duck eggs are a little richer than chicken eggs, and they are definitely larger.  So when the soft runny yolks mix with the cream and the tender baked whites of the eggs, the spicy chorizo,  the slightly sweet tomatoes and shallots and the crunch of the breadcrumbs, the result is complex, intensely flavorful and rewarding.  Also, now I can say that I’ve eaten duck eggs!

Words, recipe and photos © Elizabeth Fuss.