Pinterest and other types of social sites can get you in trouble when it comes to recipes.
A lot of times you’ll have professionals or food stylists make outrageous stuff that gets passed around like mad. The only problem is that if you actually try it, it’s almost impossible to reproduce. (Examples are aplenty and hilarious.)
So, I was a bit skeptical to try out this sort of kitschy idea.
It looks cool, but could it actually be that easy? I’ve never really had a meringue in a savory situation. Would it even taste good?
Turns out the answer is yes, these are easy.
When it comes to taste, the answer is kind of. It depends. Let me explain.
Pillow Eggs
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh chives, garnish
- Hot sauce, garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Separate eggs into whites and yolks. Do this one at a time. If you get even a single drop of yolk into the whites, you’ll have to start over as the whites won’t whip correctly with fat in them.
- Add cold whites to a bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a hand mixer or even a whisk). Beat for a minute with a whisk attachment on medium speed. Then add the tartar, turn speed up to medium high, and continue to beat until the whites hold firm peaks, probably another 4-5 minutes.
- In a large oven-safe skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, use a spoon to scoop meringue into the skillet, making little nests out of the meringue – one for each egg.
- Transfer hot skillet to oven and bake for five minutes.
- Remove skillet and carefully roll a yolk into each nest. Return to oven for 8-10 minutes depending on how done you want the yolks cooked.
- Remove from oven and season with a pinch of salt. Garnish with fresh chives and hot sauce and serve while hot.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Making the Meringue
I’ll talk about my honest opinion on the flavors of these guys at the end, but first let’s make them because I have to admit that I found them really fun to make.
First, you just have to separate your eggs into yolks and whites. I always advise doing this one egg at a time in a separate container and then combining them at the end. If you mess up and get even one drop of yolk in your whites, you’ll have to start all over.
While it’s not completely essential, I like to add a small pinch of cream of tartar to my meringues while they whip. It helps them hold their shape and just makes your life easier. You can’t really taste it in the final product.
Beat the egg whites on medium-high speed for about 5-6 minutes total. A good stand mixer is easiest for this, but you can also use a hand mixer or, if you’re insane – a whisk.
Eventually they should completely hold their shape and you should be able to make a really stiff peak out of the meringue.
Cooking the Pillows
At this point these are super easy to make. The meringue is actually more sturdy than you would think. If you have a nice oven-safe skillet, heat it over medium heat with a small drizzle of oil. Then just spoon in your meringues!
You could also do this on a baking sheet or whatever.
Make sure to make a depression in the meringue for the yolks later.
Bake the meringues for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then carefully roll in your yolks. At this point the meringues will be mostly hard so if you didn’t make a spot for the yolks earlier, you’ll be out of luck.
Return these to the oven to bake for another 8-10 minutes.
I pulled mine around 8 minutes because I wanted to my yolks still on the runny side. If you wanted them more firm, cook them for an extra few minutes.
The meringue whites get slightly browned and crispy on top which is nice.
Serving!
These actually look pretty cool and impressive. I just seasoned mine with a pinch of salt and some fresh chives. Hot sauce wouldn’t hurt either.
The Truth on Taste
Ok. So here’s the thing. I’m not sure that these were my favorite.
Don’t get me wrong. I ate them all. But, after every bite I was kind of on the fence if I liked them or not. I think it was maybe just a mental thing because I’m used to savory eggs having some heft and volume to them. These were light and fluffy like clouds, but still savory.
It was kind of a strange combo that confused my tastebuds a bit.
That’s not to say they were bad, I’m just not sure they were my favorite egg preparation method.
BUT, I still wanted to post on them for a few reasons. First, I think many people might like the texture/flavor… especially kids!
Second, I wanted to see if anyone else has ever tried anything like this. Thoughts?
Does it go beyond a parlor trick to something that you would make regularly? Leave a comment of course!
Jean Gogolin
Pretty, but I’m guessing the pillows need some seasoning. Spanish paprika?
Nick
Yea… I think you’re right. I sprinkled on some hot sauce and it helped, but more spices would help as well!
Indra Gill
My mom made these for us in India way back in the 60s!
Rob
I have not tried these before but strangly enough I was thinking of making something like this while I was on one of my long walks a few days ago. I was plesently surprised when I checked your webpaye this morning! Not only did I have a simulare idea about this recipe but was also thinking of doing some kind of omelet or scrambled egg blend. The problem I will have to solve is how would to blend or combine the whites with the yolks.
Nick
It sounds like you want to make a souffle Rob! I’ve done it a few times and it’s not as crazy hard as people make it sound. It’s just not a dish that keeps particularly well so you’ll want to eat it right away. That’s true for most eggs though I think! Good luck!
Billie
I think I would love to try these! The Spanish paprika sounds like a great addition! Think I’ll try this next weekend on the kids and take a vote!!
Nick
Ya. they need some seasoning for sure. Paprika is a great idea!
Katie
I’ve made something like this before. They had cooked, crumbled bacon and cheese folded in the whites. I thought they were super cute, easy and fun to make… But super bland.
meghanssj
I’m with you. I am not a giant meringue fan, so I don’t think this would hit the savory breakfast note that a perfectly cooked egg does for me (in almost any form). What I think would be fun to do with them is to replace the cooked yolk with a sweet yellow dessert item (custard, perhaps) and serve it alongside some other sweet treat, like chocolate covered bacon, perhaps? It would be a shareable “breakfast for dessert” and would certainly blow up on pinterest!
Nick
yea… that would explode on pinterest! haha. Fun idea!
Acia
Your comment got me thinking…..sweeten the meringue, and make the “yolk” out of lemon curd (maybe enhance the color to make it more yolk-like). TA-DA…..crustless lemon meringue pie!
Nick
Whoa… SMART! Might try that out… thanks for the idea!
Megan
I’ve made these before and had the same qualms about the meringue. I’ve found that sprinkling some sharp cheddar or smoked gouda after adding the yolk helps add back some flavor and richness!
Nick
That’s really a great idea Megan! Thanks for the comment!
Roland
tried these without the sauce and light seasoning and mozzarella cheese ,put the cheese on when the yoke when in but in n last minute would have been better, will try some Vegemite( for us Aussies) on some sour dough toast for the bed next time
Molly
Super fun to make, which was a shame because they tasted and felt so gross in my mouth. Unless you grew upon eggs like this, I doubt you will find the texture very appealing. Def think everyone should try the method though, very interesting and clever. If you do make them, you wont regret the experience, just the texture..
Kelly Calabrese
Made these pillow eggs this morning! As a tip, you can keep the egg yolk in half of the shell, instead of a bowl, in order to make sure the yolks don’t break while you work with the whites. Turned out good, it was simple, and fun to have!