The Fresh Egg Cookbook: From Chicken to Kitchen, Recipes for Using Eggs from Farmers' Markets, Local Farms, and Your Own Backyard [Paperback]

Jennifer Trainer Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 2012

Increasingly available at farmers’ markets, local farms, gourmet shops, and backyard chicken coops, fresh eggs offer nutritional benefits and delicious flavor. In The Fresh Egg Cookbook, author and chicken keeper Jennifer Trainer Thompson serves up 101 creative recipes for enjoying and celebrating the versatility of eggs.

From the perfect soft-boiled egg to French toast, omelets, eggs Florentine, and huevos rancheros, readers will find a wealth of favorite breakfast offerings with new twists. Farm-fresh eggs also bring out the best in classic preparations such as Caesar salad, spaghetti carbonara, eggnog, and homemade mayonnaise. In recipes ranging from smoothies to casseroles, deviled eggs, and stews, Thompson offers inventive variations for spicing up eggs and combining them with fresh seasonal produce for every meal of the day. She also shares amusing anecdotes about her own chickens and family life with a backyard flock.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This is a lovely and eminently practical book to have handy on your kitchen shelf - chockful of sensible and delicious ways to put fresh eggs to good use. But beware: once you've tasted a fresh egg, there's no going back. If you've ever even considered keeping your own chickens, The Fresh Egg Cookbook just might be the catalyst for the buying the coop!” (Danny Meyer, Co-Author of The Union Square Cafe Cookbook )

"A good fresh tribute to good fresh eggs." (Roy Blount Jr. )

“Sculptural, earthy, and oh-so versatile, fresh eggs have captured the imagination of Jennifer Trainer Thompson, who has written a timely and entertaining egg-centric cookbook. She offers practical information about raising chickens (easy!), and her mouthwatering recipes range from the simple (classic egg salad sandwich) to the sublime (soufflé glacé au citron).” (Vicky Lowry, executive editor, ELLE DECOR )

It isn’t often that I consider a cookbook a “good read”, however when I picked up The Fresh Egg Cookbook by Jennifer Trainer Thompson I was immediately enthralled. This is a cookbook that is captivating! Thompson has a beautiful way with words and her book is filled with stories about her backyard chicken experiences as well as amazing recipes, and helpful hints. (Good Reads )

Review

“Made with a true egg, even the friendliest fried-egg-over-easy is once again sublime. And now that people are starting to experience the difference between the real thing and the pallid supermarket version, it’s a good time to revisit all those wonderful egg dishes (and some new ones) that may have been forgotten but are worth reviving. Personally, I can’t wait to make Jennifer Thompson’s popovers!” (Deborah Madison, Author of Local Flavors, Cooking and Eating from American’s Farmers’ Markets, and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (January 31, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1603429786
• ISBN-13: 978-1603429788
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Meals > Breakfast

More About the Author

Jennifer Trainer Thompson was born in Boston, Massachusetts. A tenth-generation Yankee, she grew up in Boston, Maine, Indiana, and Southeastern Massachusetts. She attended Earlham College and graduated with a B.A. in English literature from Tufts University. After a stint helping to deliver sailboats from Mount Desert Island (Maine) to the British Virgin Islands, she moved to New York and became an editor's assistant at Simon & Schuster. Her boss fired her (a good thing) and encouraged her to write; she landed her first book contract at age 23 and co-authored NUCLEAR POWER: BOTH SIDES with physicist Michio Kaku. Jennifer and Michio teamed up for a second book, BEYOND EINSTEIN, which has been translated into a dozen languages. She writes about what interests her, which has led her down the path of the unified field theory, beer, hot sauces, travel, traditions, contemporary art, and chickens. She lives in the Berkshires. Find her at http://jumpupandkiss.me/

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Just For Breakfast March 6, 2012

By Books and Chocolate TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

This cookbook offers over 100 delicious recipes for eggs that go beyond scrambled eggs for breakfast, although there are recipes for those, too. Traditional recipes are included for soft-boiled and poached eggs, French toast, eggs Florentine, huevo rancheros, deviled eggs, eggnog, and homemade mayonnaise. Beyond the breakfast fare, there are also recipes for appetizers, main dishes, casseroles, soups and stews, and desserts. This book is also a brief tutorial on chicken breeds and tips for raising chickens based on the author's own experiences.

Chapters include Classics, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Egg-Cess, Vegetarian Dishes, and Desserts. The Baked Eggs in Tomatoes were great and made a nice change for lunch. Other recipes I hope to try soon are Gruyere & Broccoli Quiche, MJ's Egg Casserole, and Friday Night Frittata.

The many color photographs are a plus although I would have liked to see more photos of the actual recipes rather than baskets of eggs, chickens, chicken figurines, and the author's family. It isn't that those photos aren't charming, but it is a cookbook so seeing more of the recipes would be preferable. The other downside with this book is that it doesn't lay open when trying to use a recipe. It would be perfect if it was spiral-bound.

Those two issues aside, I do like this cookbook and plan on trying many of the recipes.

I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher but the opinion of it is my own and was not solicited, nor was a positive review required.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite egg cookbook March 7, 2012

By Fresh Eggs Daily Farm Girl

Format:Paperback

I was given a review copy of the book and asked to review it by Storey Publshing in conjunction with a giveaway on my blog and facebook page. I loved the book so much, I requested a second copy to giveaway to fans so I could keep a copy myself !

There are beautiful photographs throughout not only of the recipes but also the author's chickens, home and family. The recipes are interspersed with a bit of a backstory and also information about raising your own chickens.

I have tried three recipes already: Huevos Rancheros, Shirred Eggs and Mayonnaise. All three were very easy to prepare, used basic everyday ingredients, were clearly and consisely written and turned out just beautifully. I am excited to try even more of the recipes in this great little cookbook.

Well worth the money, even if I hadn't gotten a complimentary copy from the publisher. I highly recommend this book.

Lisa
Fresh Eggs Daily
www.fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com
(...)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific For Egg Enthusiasts and More February 22, 2012

By Kristi C.

Format:Paperback

The Fresh Egg Cookbook comes at a time when more and more people are becoming chicken owners and finding themselves with a surplus of eggs. In her introduction, Jennifer Trainer Thompson details her journey to becoming a chicken owner in Western Massachusetts. Before launching into recipes, Thompson discusses good breeds for eggs and other questions about eggs that others may have.

The chapters outline the "Classics" of egg use in condiments like mayonnaise and Bearnaise sauce, then onto the meals. The ranges of soft- to hard-boiled eggs to the Tex-Mex migas, fried egg sandwiches to a wild mushroom ragout with poached eggs will please many. Thompson also gives ideas for what to do with those big excesses, with recipes for deviled eggs and pickled eggs. Chapters on vegetarian dishes and desserts round out the recipes. Interspersed in the chapters are vignettes about her own experiences with raising chickens. Colorful photographs of both family and food provide a great backdrop to the text.

The Fresh Egg Cookbook is a welcome addition to specialized cooking manuals. By no means exhaustive, a nice range of recipes is included. While most of the text is devoted to the meals that can be made, the personal stories are fun and make a great addition to an already lovely cookbook.