Review of Alfresco Eggs by Vital Farms + recipe

Vital Farms began in 2007 with a small farm in Austin, TX with 50 hens and one simple idea: to raise healthy, happy egg-laying hens outside, on fresh pastures, and to treat them and the land with respect. The fresh air, salad, and plenty of exercise for the hens produce the tastiest and most nutritious eggs imaginable. This is not a new idea, but just common sense. The roaming chickens in Hawaii are happy chickens and you can tell by the bright orange yolk. Whether it is a white or brown shell, the nutrients from the food, fresh air, and exercise make tasty eggs. Until now, I have never seen an egg so closely match to the ones in Hawaii. Vital Farms hens are able to roam, forage, and be stress-free with a minimum of 108 square feet of pasture for each hen. The Vital Farms is a family of 55 farms from Georgia to California and are third-party certified as USDA Certified Organic, Certified Humane, and Non-GMO Project Verified.

Some reason to love Pasture-Raised Eggs:

• They have a delicious, richer, cleaner flavor.
• Pasture-raised hens are raised to the highest standards of the Certified Humane^® program.
• The hens salad based diet, combined with plenty of exercise, enables them to produce eggs that have 25% less saturated fat and up to 50% less cholesterol.
• No herbicides or pesticides are used on their pastures.
• The hens are antibiotic and hormone free.
• With natural fertilizers, there is less run off into the water systems, making pasture-raising better for the environment.
• Pasture-raising is a healthier, more affordable farming system, which makes for happier farmers.
• Vital Farms works with 55 family farms across the country, creating more jobs with higher wages.
• Sunshine and fresh grasses means the eggs are significantly higher in vitamins A, D, E and omega-3. Compared to a mass-produced egg, they have 4x more Vitamin D, 3x more Vitamin E, 2x more omega-3, 1.6x more Vitamin A, and 7x more beta carotene.

Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern in Dana Point, CA presented an “egg’clusive” dinner featuring these wonderful eggs.

Chive Bedeviled Egg with Applewood Smoked Bacon paired with ‘Southern Fizz’ made with Bulleit Bourbon, ginger syrup, lemon, and egg white. The deviled egg yolk mixture was creamy and had a rich yolk flavor. The jalapeno added a spicy kick. The bacon added a salty, smoky flavor. Rating: 5/5 ‘Southern Fizz’ was very smooth. The egg white foam was like the frothed milk in a cappuccino. The flavor profile was like a Tequila Sunrise. Rating: 4/5

Soft Scrambled Eggs topped with White Truffles and served on Brioche Toast. The eggs had a yolky, creamy flavor and paired well with the delicate white truffle. The brioche was perfectly sized with the right amount of sponginess. Rating: 5/5

Warm Poached Egg atop Frisee Salad with 5 Spiced Duck Confit. The poached egg was perfectly cooked with a creamy orange center. It dripped out like liquid gold. The duck paired well with the poached egg bringing out the natural sweetness of each. The frisee added a nice green contrast. Rating: 5/5

Turkey, Cornbread, and Sun-Dried Cranberry Hash topped with a Poached Egg and Hollandaise. The egg was perfectly poached, but the hash was too sweet and overpowered the egg flavor. Rating: 2.3/5

Chopped Steak topped with a Bourbon Black Peppercorn Sauce and served with a Sunnyside Egg. It looked like a loco moco without the rice. The steak was grilled to perfection, but the peppercorn sauce was too strong and overpowered both the steak and the egg. Rating: 3.3/5

Carrot-Walnut Cupcake topped with Cream Cheese-White Chocolate Frosting. It was a light and fluffy cupcake. The outside of the cupcake had a crust providing a nice texture. The frosting was light and creamy. Rating: 4/5

Fantastic French Toast (courtesy of Vital Farms)

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 vital farms eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 12 thick slices of bread

1. Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat.
3. Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated. Cook bread on each side until golden brown. Serve hot.
4. Optional: Drizzle with maple syrup, top with fresh berries, and/or a dollop of Buttermilk Truck’s Cream Cheese Butter (recipe can be found on the can of Red Velvet Pancake Mix).

Tasting notes: Cinnamon and vanilla aromas; Vanilla, custard, cinnamon, honey, maple, tangy berry flavors; Fluffy, spongy, creamy, bread pudding-like textures; Rating: 4.8/5

Make Alfresco Eggs from Vital Farms part of your refrigerated staples.

For more information:

Alfresco Eggs by Vital Farms

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