Egg Pairings with Cheeses from Switzerland

Eggs are among the earliest foods consumed by mankind: there is no need for breeding, hunting techniques or even fire. Eggs of any laying species, from quail to alligator, can be used as food. The period is not determined. Some recent work dates the first domestication of egg-laying species to 6000 BC. The first written records that we have confirm that in - 3200 the hen was already domesticated.

We have many documents on the consumption of eggs in Antiquity: the Phoenicians preferred ostrich eggs, the Romans those of the blue peacock while the Chinese swore by those of the pigeon. The famous Apicius gives many recipes based on eggs (flans, omelets), but in Rome and all around the Mediterranean, they remained a marginal food, reserved for the rich, the poor preferring to wait for the eggs to turn into chickens to eat them.

From the 15th century, the chicken egg of lines originating in Asia became established in Europe. In the 17th century, we know in France at least 60 recipes to prepare it. Louis XV did a lot for the development of the consumption of eggs: he loved them, especially boiled or in meringues. The hens were installed even in the attics of Versailles and supplied the royal egg cups on a daily basis. At that time, the French consumed an average of 60 eggs per year (they now consume 250!).

In the 19th century, clearly more productive breeds of hens, selected by the Chinese, arrived in Europe, arousing the envy of all breeders. At the same time, about a hundred other races are being created, some just for their flesh, others for their eggs. In the twentieth century, the first methods of industrial breeding appeared: some hens were crammed into boxes, kept at an ideal temperature and subjected to an optimal degree of sunlight: productivity increased, but quality was felt. Nothing beats eggs from free-range hens!

Egg whites, beaten until stiff, can bring smoothness and lightness to your sorbets and frozen preparations.

To easily peel your hard-boiled eggs, run them under very cold water or immerse them in cold water at the end of cooking.

Once cooled, the egg cooking water can be used for watering plants because it is rich in nutrients.

The rounded appearance of the egg yolk indicates its age, the more it rounded, the younger it is, the more it flattens, the older it is.

A raw egg white with a cloudy appearance is a sign of the freshness of the egg.

You can check the freshness of an egg by dipping it in salted water. The more the egg floats, the fresher it is. The faster it flows, the cooler it is.

• Fried eggs and Gruyère AOP Classic. The success: cook over very low heat and sprinkle with the cheese at the end of cooking, finish with a few chopped tarragon leaves.
• Buckwheat pancakes with eggs, ham and Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP. Cook the pancakes, crack the egg on top, pepper and salt, add the ham and grated cheese, sprinkle with paprika. Cast off two sides and fold over the other two.
• Eggs casserole with smoked bacon and Tomme Vaudoise. Boil fresh cream, pour it into ramekins, place two eggs per ramekin. Add thin slices of smoked bacon on top, finish with slices of Tomme Vaudoise. Pass in the oven.
• Appenzeller® scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. Cook the eggs in a double boiler, stirring gently. As soon as they begin to cook, stir in the grated Appenzeller® cheese. Add a nice piece of butter at the end of cooking. Serve with a few thin slices of smoked salmon.
• Pasta with pancetta, eggs and Sbrinz AOP. Brown the pancetta, add fresh cream, remove from heat, finish by adding a whole egg. Pour over the pasta cooked al dente, sprinkle with grated Sbrinz AOP.
• Salad with mimosa eggs, cherry tomatoes, Tête de Moine AOP and crab. Mix crab, mimosa eggs, cherry tomatoes and crab, season with a spicy mayonnaise. Serve with a nice Rosette de Tête de Moine AOP on each plate.
• Boiled eggs and Gruyère d´Alpage AOP cheese. For a gourmet breakfast or brunch.
• Asparagus, fried eggs and bacon with Swiss PDO Emmentaler. Cook the asparagus, surround them with bacon, grill them. Fry the eggs, sprinkle them with grated Swiss PDO Emmentaler. Serve immediately with the asparagus and boiled potatoes.
• Spinach, egg and Raclette du Valais AOP gratin. Crack an egg on a spinach gratin, cover with Raclette du Valais AOP in strips. Pass in the oven.