Michelle Darmody: Eggs: The base for almost all tasty bakes

I  am often asked what my favourite food is, funnily enough my mind tends to equate this to a favourite meal rather than a specific food. Eating and enjoying what you eat has so much to do with sharing and being in a special place at a special time.

I find it hard to separate the exact ingredients of foods from the experience of enjoying them around a table. One special ingredient that does come to mind is an egg. I have had a long-standing affair with the deceptively humble egg.

It not only galvanises the best lazy breakfasts, and can be used as a quick-fix dinner, eggs are the base for almost all tasty baking. The varying components of the egg have different jobs to do, the yolk provides fat and richness and it binds ingredients in an emulsion whereas the white helps to trap air and add structure.