Description
Although a whole ostrich egg is an unusually beautiful thing - smooth and surprisingly heavy - its texture is very different from a hen's egg when cooked. This sauce would also go well with grilled seabass or chicken.
Ingredients
1 ostrich egg
2 tbsp salted capers
100g/3½oz pine nuts
3 slices bread
bunch of tarragon, leaves chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
rapeseed oil
2-3 tbsp white wine vinegar
salad leaves tossed with lemon juice, oil and salt, to serve
Method
1. Start by boiling the egg. Place it in a large pan of boiling water and cook for one hour topping up the water as necessary.
2. While the egg is cooking, thoroughly rinse the salt from the capers then soak in cold water for 30 minutes, giving them a gentle squeeze and changing the water every 10 minutes.
3. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until very light brown. Leave to cool.
4. Remove the crusts from the bread and using a food processor, blend into breadcrumbs, then transfer to a bowl. Coarsely chop the toasted pine nuts and add to the breadcrumbs.
5. Add the chopped tarragon to the mixture along with the garlic. Finely chop the drained capers and stir into the mixture.
6. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add enough oil to give a spooning consistency and mix well.
7. Finally, add a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar and mix once more. Set aside.
6. Remove the ostrich egg from the pan and place on a board. Carefully remove the shell and membrane, then cut into slices. Arrange on plates, add a large spoonful of the sauce and serve with dressed salad leaves.
