The Hirshon Périgord-Style Stuffed Eggs – Œufs à la Périgourdine

Citizens, everybody loves stuffed eggs and deviled eggs are a southern U.S. classic – but in the Périgord region of France, they take them to their ultimate form!

The Périgord is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine région.

It is divided into four areas called the Périgord Noir (Black), the Périgord Blanc (White), the Périgord Vert (Green) and the Périgord Pourpre (Purple). The geography and natural resources of Périgord make it a beautiful, unspoiled region rich in history and wildlife, and the newly created Parc Naturel Régional Périgord-Limousin aims to conserve it as such.

One of TFD’s favorite places on Earth for its combination of history, natural beauty and unearthly cuisine, there are Roman ruins in Périgueux which have been restored and the whole area is known as the ‘cradle of mankind’ due to its wealth of prehistoric sites.

The most famous of these is the painted cave of Lascaux, whose depictions of aurochs, horses, deer and other animals (but not of humans) date back some 17,000 years.

19th century archaeological investigations established the valley of the Vézère as an unusually rich array of pre-historic sites dating back some 40,000 years. One of UNESCO’s World Heritage locations, the valley contains 147 prehistoric sites dating from the Palaeolithic era and 25 decorated caves.

Périgord is noted for its cuisine, especially its duck and goose products, such as confit de canard and foie gras. It is known as a centre for truffles in France. Périgourdine wines include Bergerac (red and white) and Monbazillac.

Périgord holds a cornucopia of amazing ingredients that are integral to classic French cooking.

Foie gras and truffles gild this classic French recipe’s yolk stuffing, and walnut oil from the region rounds out the flavor profile and makes it distinctly southwest French. The herbs added? C’est magnifique!

In the original recipe, the entire egg was deep-fried. I have updated this and adapted the technique of Jacques Pepin to instead fry only the cut, stuffed portion of the egg yolk in duck or goose fat (heaven and a trademark of the Perigord!) and serve it with a classic French vinaigrette.

Truly a way to wow your extraordinarily fortunate guests at your next soirée, Citizens! 🙂

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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8 AA free-range organic eggs
120 grams truffled foie gras
1 very small black winter truffle, very finely minced plus any juice from the jar
2 tbsp. walnut oil
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
2 tbsp. chopped chervil
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp. foie gras or goose fat
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

For the dressing:

2 to 3 tablespoons leftover egg stuffing (from above)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon water
Dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 9 to 10 minutes. Drain off the water, and shake the eggs in the saucepan to crack the shells. (This will help in their removal later on.)

Fill the saucepan with cold water and ice, and let the eggs cool for 15 minutes. Peel eggs and slice in half lengthwise.

Remove yolks from hard-cooked eggs and place them in a small bowl. Mash yolks with a fork, stir in foie gras, walnut oil, truffle abd truffle juice, thyme, chervil, and parsley, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon yolk mixture into hard-cooked whites, rounding and smoothing as you go. Reserve 2-3 tbsp. of yolk filling for dressing.

Heat fat or oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place eggs in pan, stuffed side down, and fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes (check after 90 seconds).

Drain on paper towels, transfer to a platter and serve with the dressing.