Taste of Big Sur Egg Dish

Our chickens have acclimated to their new home and have begun to lay eggs.  Because all three are Bantam varieties, their eggs are about half the size of a typical chicken egg.  With only a dozen chickens, our egg production is very small, and we reserve these for our Taste of Big Sur Menu.  Elizabeth made a cream using smoked hay to serve as the base of the dish.  We then add egg whites gently cooked with oak consommé, the oil poached yolk and a variety of young sorrel leaves and roots from the garden.  Right before the dish leaves the kitchen with fill the cloche with hay smoke so that when the server lifts the lid the diner gets to experience the smell of smoldering fresh hay.  This dish is really a beautiful reflection of our chicken program.  We use freshly raked hay for the hens to lay their eggs on, so incorporating more hay into the dish was a logical step.  The acidity of the sorrel help cut through the richness of the yolk, while enabling the subtle flavor of the egg to shine.