Go big with duck eggs in your summer dishes

Which came first, the duck or the duck egg?

In Wine Country, that is actually a good question. The honor may go to the duck, thanks to Jim Reichardt, who has raised the renowned Liberty Ducks at his ranch since 1992.

These days, however, North Bay consumers can also get their hands on a growing supply of the big, blue-green duck eggs, produced by farmers such as Anthony Bordessa of Washoe Valley Duck Farm in Valley Ford and John and Lesley Brabyn of Salmon Creek Ranch in Bodega.

The 23-year-old Bordessa, who is a third-generation Sonoma County farmer, started out four years ago with 60 ducks in his parent's back field in Cotati, then moved his ducks to a 10-acre parcel in Cotati. Eventually, he expanded to Valley Ford, where he now raises some 3,000 ducks for their tasty eggs.

“When I was down at school at Cal Poly, mom and dad kept it going,” said Bordessa, who graduated with a degree in Agricultural Business. “Once I came back, we went to 500 and then 1,000 in Cotati, and then we moved out to Valley Ford to better facilities that are easier to manage.”

At his west county ranch, Bordessa raises two breeds: the Golden 300 Hybrid Layer and the White Layer. They are the same bird, he said, only with different-colored feathers: Golden 300 Hybrid Layers have light to dark brown feathers, while the White Layer stays true to its name but lays fewer bluish-colored eggs.

“It's called Golden 300 because it lays over 300 eggs a year,” Bordessa said. “So they're pretty prolific in laying, for a duck.”

Although his eggs can now be found in 25 local food stores, from Andy's Produce and Fircrest Market to Community and Oliver's markets, one of the challenges is educating consumers on what duck eggs taste like and why they are better than chicken eggs. Since duck eggs cost about a buck an egg, it's often a hard sell based on the price alone.

“We try to get the point across that they are such a rich egg, you only need to eat only one, and they're bigger as well,” he said. “In general, they're higher in nutrients ... there's close to 10 grams of protein per egg vs. about 6.5 to 7 for chicken eggs.”

Many people who are allergic to chicken eggs find they can eat duck eggs without a problem, and the harder shell of the duck egg also keeps them fresh longer.

Lesley Brabyn, who raises about 1,000 ducks for their eggs at Salmon Creek Ranch, stresses that duck eggs are very different from chicken eggs.

“They have five times the B12 and twice the iron,” she said. “When you eat them ... they are richer, creamier and more satisfying.”

Because duck eggs also offer a higher ratio of yolk per white, they are coveted by bakers who use them to add an extra rich, creamy flavor to custards and flans. They are also preferred by many restaurants who make their own pastas, such as Peter Lowell's in Sebastopol and Backyard in Forestville.

At Backyard, chef/owner Daniel Kedan orders a few dozen duck eggs a week from places like Farm Sinclair in Guerneville and Salmon Creek Ranch in Bodega.

“They are really spectacular,” Kedan said of the white and green-blue eggs. “They are a great extra source of protein and fat, and they are a very versatile egg, good for pasta production, cooking and having a sunny-side-up egg.”

Right now, Kedan has gotten his hands on some chanterelle mushrooms that he is blending with leeks, preserved lemon and stock to create a sauce for a housemade raviolo, which is a single, circular ravioli. The raviolo dough is made with a whole duck egg, then he fills the raviolo pouch with duck yolk and ricotta cheese.

“You crack the pasta, and the yolk oozes out everywhere,” he said.

The chef also likes to make a classic rendition of the Roman dish, Pasta Carbonara, and serve it with a sauce made from duck egg, garlic, onion, chicken stock, black pepper and Parmesan. He makes his own guanciale for the dish - hog jowls turned into cured, dry-aged bacon - but home cooks can easily substitute regular bacon.

The duck eggs also pop up on the restaurant's brunch menu on a regular basis in all kinds of savory egg dishes.

“One of my favorite things to do is a duck egg Tortilla Espanola,” he said. “It's a Spanish-style frittata ... right now, we're getting great leeks and spring onions and garlic and potatoes. You mix it all together and pour the eggs over it.”

For the brunch special, Kedan serves the Tortilla Espanola with a fresh herb aioli, which can also be made with duck eggs and a green salad.

One of the problems with using duck eggs in baking is that they often vary in size, Kedan said, whereas regular chicken eggs have a grading system for consistency. If you're looking for consistent and perfect duck eggs for baking, Kedan recommends sourcing from Salmon Creek Ranch, which can be found at the Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market at the Luther Burbank Center on Saturdays and the Bodega Bay Community Farmers Market on Sundays.

“We're not required to grade the duck eggs by size, which is great,” Brabyn said. “But we sell ours in medium, large and jumbo. The jumbos are $1 each, but the mediums we sell for $8 a dozen. Whenever poultry start laying, they tend to be smaller eggs.”

The Salmon Creek Ranch eggs are also available in certain Whole Foods markets and at independent grocery stores.

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The following recipes are from Daniel Kedan at Backyard. You can substitute another mushroom for the morels, bacon for the guanciale and Parmesan for the Caproncino. “We love grating Bohemian Creamery's Caproncino on top,” he said. “It adds a beautiful sharp cheese note to the richness of this dish.”

Morel Mushroom and Duck Egg Carbonara

Makes 4 servings

1 pound fresh pasta

3 ounces guanciale or bacon, cut into lardons

4 ounces wild morel mushrooms (or maitake, oyster, chanterelle)

1 red onion, sliced thinly

1 teaspoon garlic

½ cup chicken stock

8 duck eggs

2 ounces Bohemian Creamery Caproncino (or Parmesan)

In a large pot, cook the pasta until it is tender but still slightly al dente. Strain the pasta and reserve some of the pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large sauté pan, cook the guanciale (or bacon) until it becomes slightly crispy but not too crispy. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Let cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the onion and garlic. Cook on high for 3 minutes until the onions have completely softened, but stirring well as to not burn the garlic. Add the chicken stock and let it reduce by half. Turn the heat off and add the pasta to one side of the pan.

Tilt the pan so there is a collection of liquid at the bottom. Add a little pasta water and the egg yolks and stir vigorously to incorporate the eggs. As soon as you start stirring, incorporate the pasta and mushrooms as the sauce will thicken and you want the noodles coated. (If you leave the heat on, you will make scrambled eggs, not egg sauce.) If it is not thickening, put the heat on medium for a quick second, until it starts to thicken, then turn it off. Grate the cheese on top in thin sheets.

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Duck Egg Tortilla Espanola

Makes 4 servings

2 large Russet potatoes, cut into quarters, then cut into ½-inch pieces

3 teaspoons kosher salt

1 large red onion, sliced thin

3 tablespoons rice bran oil (preferably nonGMO)

6 duck eggs

1 tablespoons creme fraiche

- Salsa verde (for optional garnish)

- Aioli (see recipe below)

In a small pot, add sliced potatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, water (enough to go 1 inch above the potatoes) and place over medium heat on the stove top. Bring the pot of potatoes up to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Let the potatoes sit in the water for 5 minutes, then drain and cool.

Cook the onions in a small sauté pan with 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon salt, until tender (about 5 minutes).

In a mixing bowl, whisk the duck eggs, creme fraiche and onions. Then mix in the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and potatoes gently. Place a 6-inch pan on the stove, over medium heat, with 2 tablespoons of oil added to it. When it is hot, just before the oil wants to smoke, pour the egg mixture into the pan. Make sure the egg is coating all of the potatoes and onions. Place in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes. You will know it is done when you move the pan and there is no longer a “jiggle” to the egg mixture.

Flip it out onto a serving plate. Cut into four slices and top with salsa verde. Serve with the aioli and a green salad on side.

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Duck Egg Aioli

Makes 2 cups

6 garlic cloves, peeled, whole

2 cups rice bran oil (preferably non-GMO)

3 duck egg yolks

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 lemon, juiced

Put the garlic cloves and oil in a small pot. Bring them to a gentle simmer, then turn the heat to low, allowing the garlic and oil to steep for 15 minutes. Be careful not to brown the garlic, as this will make it bitter. Strain and cool the oil in a bowl.

Using a mixer, blender or whisk, add the 3 duck egg yolks, mustard powder and salt. Begin mixing for 1 minute, then slowly drizzle in the oil. Once all the oil is incorporated, add the lemon juice and taste.

Staff Writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.