Which came first ~ the egg or the gourmet egg?

Sorry Sam I Am, hip eggs these days aren't just green.

No longer a simple matter of brown vs. white, eggs are going gourmet. So how about some blue eggs with that ham? Or perhaps an ostrich omelet? Quail quiche? Maybe you yearn for something "pastured," as in the eggs of hens that roamed free as a, well, bird.

"It's been really good what's been happening with eggs," says Mourad Lahlou, who as chef at San Francisco's Aziza restaurant has seen eggs rise in the pecking order from bit player to dining scene star.

"They're so nutritious. They're so good for you. They're so delicious," he says. "I've been feeling the last year or so especially that more and more people are using eggs."

Alexis Koefoed became part of the egg revolution a few years back when she moved with her family to Vacaville, about 50 miles east of San Francisco, and started Soul Food Farm.

There she's raising "pastured poultry," allowing her hens to strut, scratch and grub their way across fields of pasture.

This kind of farm used to be the only way to go. But over time, egg production moved indoors, where controlled conditions create greater efficiency and a cheaper product.

The renewed interested in fresh and local food of the last decade or so has spurred a counter-trend with organic and free-range eggs becoming more common, along with "designer" eggs touting various health claims.

Meanwhile, other species have been showing up, with quail and duck on restaurant menus and available in some specialty markets. And lesser-known chicken breeds are re-emerging, such as the Araucanas that lay eggs with shells of a blueish-green hue.

Americans may be getting more adventurous with eggs, but they're eating fewer than before. Last year, the typical person ate 255 eggs, more than a decade ago when it dipped to 234, but down from the more than 300 in 1970, according to federal data.

And conventionally farmed chicken eggs dominate. The USDA doesn't have figures on pastured poultry or nonchicken species, but estimates there are about 2.2 million certified organic hens laying eggs, accounting for just more than 1 percent of the consumer market.

But interest in the gourmet side of the egg world is growing. Sales of organic eggs were up 18 percent to $190 million from 2005 to 2006, according to the Organic Trade Association.

The pastured method aims to keep hens outside all day, Koefoed said. But that labor-intensive method comes at a price. Soul Food Farm eggs cost $5 a dozen at the farm, about $1 more than the national average for organic eggs.

Fans of pastured eggs say they're worth it.

The yolks are "like a golf ball and the color is so intensely orange. It's just a concentration of flavor," says chef Lahlou, who often serves pastured eggs. If the egg in question is from an Araucana, he makes sure to send out the shell on the side. "When people see that it's blue, they really don't believe it."

Gayle Pirie and John Clark, authors of the cookbook "Country Egg, City Egg," are pleased to see eggs breaking into the culinary big time.

"As far as we're concerned they've been hot for a long time," says Pirie. "They're a perfect protein food. They're a perfect energy food. We've loved them because they're a quick easy meal."

The two, chefs at San Francisco's Foreign Cinema restaurant, regularly feature egg dishes, playing with rustic and sophisticated takes. One of Pirie's more extravagant offerings is a poached, breaded and fried egg.

Duck eggs, a sweeter and richer taste, they might serve with porcini. Quail eggs - "They're adorable." - make a nice garnish on tiny toast.

Interest in raising hens on pasture has picked up in the past 10 years, says Jody Padgham of the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association. The group now has about 500 members scattered across almost all 50 states.

"What we're doing is creating a unique product and in a unique way," says Padgham, who farms near Eau Claire, Wis. "You're not going to get rich, but it's very satisfying and the product is very well-received in the marketplace."

Koefoed agrees.

"The most significant thing to me is that we're doing the right thing for the animals," she said, "and because of that the food quality is so high, the meat's delicious and tastes great. The eggs are wonderful."

Perhaps this is what all those chickens were crossing the road for.

Edamame Fried Rice

11/2 cups shelled soybeans, thawed if frozen

2 tablespoon canola oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

6-8 dried Chinese mushrooms, rehydrated, stems removed and fine diced

5 cups cold cooked long grain rice

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

3 tablespoon chicken broth or water

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3-4 green onions, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

If using soybeans in the pods, bring a saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the pods and cook until tender crisp, about 3 minutes, drain under cold water; remove beans from pods and discard pods. If using shelled soybeans, add straight to the boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes, drain and set aside.

Place a nonstick skillet or wok over high heat, add canola oil and swirl until the pan is coated. Add the garlic, ginger, onion and celery and saute for about 15 seconds. Add the mushrooms and rice and stir-fry separating the grains. Stir in the soybeans and cook until the rice is heated through. Add the sauces and broth or water and stir-fry to mix well.

Make a well in the center of the rice and add the eggs and gently stir until the eggs settle, about 1 minute. Saute well to mix the egg into the rice. Mix in the green onions and serve.

Serves four.

Cook's note: If frozen soybeans cannot be found, substitute with frozen lima beans.

Canolainfo.org

Pepper 'n' Egg Skillet Supper

1 teaspoon corn oil

7 cups thinly sliced sweet red, yellow and/or green peppers in rings or strips (about 5 to 6 medium)

11/2 cups thinly sliced onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 eggs

In 10-inch nonstick omelet pan or skillet over medium heat, cook peppers, onion and garlic in hot oil, without stirring, about 3 to 4 minutes. (Volume in pan will reduce as vegetables cook.)

Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 6-8 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and all liquid has evaporated, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in vinegar and cook until evaporated.

With back of spoon, make 4 indentations (about 2 inches in diameter) in vegetable mixture. Break and slip an egg into each indentation. Or, for flower-shaped eggs, break and slip each egg into an individual pepper ring.

Cover and cook over medium heat until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Serves four.

@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 149 calories, 7 g fat, 16 g carbohydrate, 8 g protein, 213 mg cholesterol, 69 mg sodium.

American Egg Board