Duck Egg Pancakes

Ducks are actually pretty good egg-layers. Now what to do with all those eggs...

Duck eggs have a higher albumin content and a slightly lower water content than a chicken egg.  They have a higher level of omega-3 fatty acids too.   Also, duck eggs have a larger yolk in comparison to the overall size of their egg.  Since duck eggs are bigger you do have to be careful substituting them for chicken eggs in exact baking recipes, although it can be done.  Other than this little consideration, you can confidently use duck eggs almost exactly the same as chicken eggs.  They taste delicious and make very wonderful egg dishes.

I sometimes like to go gluten-free, and since I'm also always open to how to make cooking easier, (some days I'd rather spend more time outside) I really appreciate a good pancake mix.  I've made a few modifications to the directions on the back of the packages and gotten nothing but good feedback from anyone I've fed with them so here goes:

Start with a gluten-free pancake mix.  I like Namaste Foods, or sometimes I like to use half Bisquick and half Pamela's.  Usually those mixes ask you to use one egg for every cup of mix.  I use two large duck eggs instead.  Duck eggs are on average about 50% bigger than a chicken egg.  The yolks from free-range birds (chicken or duck) will be a deeper orange color.  This will turn the batter a pretty yellow color and the pancakes may have a yellow tinge even after they are cooked.  They will be quite fluffy though because duck eggs make things fluffier.  Then I use just enough milk to get the consistency right and beat it well.  For cooking pancakes I like to use walnut, pecan, or hazelnut oil, but safflower oil works well too.  

If you can't find duck eggs, try using three free-range chicken eggs instead.    You will still get a delicious, protein-packed pancake.  Oh and don't forget the coffee.  

Just like chicken eggs, duck eggs come in various sizes and colors depending on the breed of the duck. The brown chicken egg on the right pictured for the sake of comparison is compliments of my hard-working maran, Giselle.

So remember, the next time you go to make pancakes, don't forget about the ducks!