The Good Egg: More Than 200 Fresh Approaches from Breakfast to Dessert

by Marie Simmons

Houghton Mifflin, 446 pp, $15 (paper)

During the 1970s and Eighties, the egg fell out of favor with health experts. But the big scare is over: Scientists now agree that eating eggs and other foods that contain cholesterol does not necessarily raise the level of cholesterol in the blood, or increase the risk of heart disease. In fact, the egg is the best source of complete protein in our entire diet, delivering all the amino acids, as well as minerals, vitamin A, and several important B vitamins. Egg yolks are also one of the few dietary sources of vitamin D, so critical to maintaining healthy bones and teeth.

Now that eggs are OK again, does anyone remember all the wonderful egg dishes that fell by the wayside? Marie Simmons has compiled a superb encyclopedia of egg cookery to refresh the collective memory. The Good Egg is already being hailed as a classic and has won the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award.

Not only are the basics of egg cookery covered (scrambling, frying, poaching), but every imaginable egg dish is lovingly resurrected: omelettes and frittatas, quiches and custards, soufflés and roulades. Mayonnaise and hollandaise, and all the other classic egg-based sauces, are explained with perfect clarity. Naturally, there are multiple recipes for stuffed eggs, egg salad, and egg-and-pasta dishes, such as pasta varbonara. Then, we move on to dessert. There are so many favorites: flan, crème Brûlée, lemon curd, and zabaglione, to name a few. Not to mention bread pudding, tarts, custard pies, and meringues, and let’s not forget ice cream.

Taken as a whole, the range of the recipes illustrates the astonishing versatility of the egg. This is a useful cookbook, bound to become a cornerstone of any collection it joins.

This article appears in July 14 • 2006.

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Kate Thornberry worked in renowned Austin restaurants for 30 years while pursuing a reasonably successful career in music. She began contributing to the Chronicle in 1988 and became a regular contributor to the food section in 2006.