I totally missed the Instagram Cloud Egg fad that I had to read about on NPR last week. In all honestly, I had never heard of cloud eggs until I read that article. It was interesting to learn that they had actually been around for centuries.
So, I decided to give Cloud Eggs a try.
Well, my first attempt was rather laughable. I probably should have spent more time reading other cloud egg recipes. However, if you follow my tips below, that I learned the hard way, you’ll have perfect cloud eggs every time!
But first, let me explain what cloud eggs actually are:
What are Cloud Eggs?
“Modern cloud eggs are simple to make, but look sophisticated. Recipes vary, but basically, you take an egg, separate the whites and yolk, beat the whites into a stiff foam and season to taste. Then you scoop the foam into a cloud-like form on a baking sheet covered with parchment, leaving a hollow in the middle for the yolk, and pop it into the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. In some versions, the yolk goes into the oven at the same time as the whites; in others, the whites bake first for a few minutes, then the yolk is added and the whole thing is baked for a couple of minutes longer. Baking times vary, but recipes generally call for around 5 to 6 minutes total.” ~NPR
They may sound simple enough but I quickly learned that they are also easy to mess up.
Here’s what I learned.
Meringue
In order to turn the egg whites into clouds, you must create a perfect meringue. Beating or whisking causes the protein in the egg whites to unfold, forming films that trap the air bubbles. Unlike a meringue pie, there is no sugar added to stiffen the foam so it’s important to get the egg whites firm (aka. create a big collection of bubbles) on their own.
I decided to make 4 cloud eggs. Sadly, the first two did not turn out. I didn’t know exactly what I was doing and didn’t bring the eggs whites to the correct consistency. I knew as soon as I tried to put dollops of the egg on the baking sheet and, they just fanned out like big pancakes.
My second attempt was much better – the dollops of egg white maintained their form and I was able to put a little divot in them to hold the yolk.
Fold in the Flavor
Do not add flavors (such as chives, spices and cheeses) until after the cloud egg meringue has been blended. Doing so will affect the meringue formation. With my first attempt, two of the eggs received a bunch of spices before blending, which included some cheese powder. I attribute this to one of the reasons why they did not meringue.
Use Parchment Paper
Eggs love to stick to everything. By using parchment paper, you’ll easily be able to lift the cloud egg off the baking tray and transfer to your serving plate. Save yourself a headache!
In the picture below, you see what happened when I created 2 different cloud egg variations. The two eggs on the left where the first two that I tried to make. I did not whip the egg whites long enough or maybe fast enough – I also added spices and cheese to the liquid egg whites before blending. There are many reasons why these two eggs may not have become beautiful clouds. I consider them to be my perfect mess of learning.
Back to Basics – Follow the Recipe
After observing the result from my first two eggs, I decided to go back to the basics and follow the recipe EXACTLY. I would whip only the egg whites (quickly) and then blend in extras, such as cheeses and herbs.
What a difference!
I had to laugh after I took the picture above. A couple years ago, I had a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy and the eggs on the left, reminded me of my boobs before surgery. The eggs on the right, look like my boobs now. There are “perks” to being told you have a nasty genetic mutation!
And, yes, I also have a sick sense of humor, if you hadn’t noticed.
Here’s my Cloud Egg recipe
I hope you love it. Rob returned from his travels and I made him cloud eggs for breakfast today. They were a hit!
This is probably a recipe I will reserve for special occasions but, it’s fun to make and a simple way to had some flare to a regular breakfast.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
6 minutes
Total Time
16 minutes
Ingredients
-
4 eggs, divided
-
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
-
1 tsp tarragon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Keep yolks intact.
- Beat egg whites into a stiff foam. Stir in cheese.
- Divide foam into 4 dollops onto a parchment covered baking pan. Create a small divot in the top of each foam dollop.
- Place egg yolk into divot.
- Bake for 6 minutes.
Notes
Variation 1: Place a small piece of ham and cheese in the divot and top with yolk. Poke yolk and allow yolk to run down sides of cloud. After baking, sprinkle with fresh chives.
Variation 2: Add 2 tsp sugar to egg white foam. After nestling egg yolk in divot, sprinkle with bacon. After baking, drizzle with chocolate sauce.
Nutrition information varies depending on ingredients added.
