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Thursday, April 17, 2003

By Kathleen Ganster

These aren't your grandmother's Easter eggs.

Wait, maybe they are.

	Common foods provide dye solutions that produce a subtle array of natural tints. From top down, the coloring agents are spinach, beets, red cabbage, mocha and paprika. (Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette)

Using natural materials to dye Easter eggs is hardly anything new. After all, the colors in those PAAS kits are hardly found in nature. Those willing to spend a little extra time may find the process of using plants and other natural materials to dye their eggs fun and intriguing.

Local chef Alyson Sprague recently taught a class in natural dyed eggs at the Versatile Gourmet in Butler. "I began to wonder what was in the kits to get eggs those colors and started looking for alternatives. I wanted to get back to the natural form of it," she said.

Sprague, also an artist, often dyes her own wool. "I thought if I could use the materials for wool, why couldn't I use them on eggs?"

As part of her research, Sprague consulted her books on dyeing wool, along with searching on the Internet. "I wanted to use only plants that were edible so that I could use the eggs."

Another fun part of using natural dyes is that the eggs never turn out the same way twice. "These are general formulas," said Sprague. "But if you use more materials or boil the mixture differently, your eggs will turn out differently."

The type of materials can also vary your colors. Sprague used canned blueberries for her first batch of dyed eggs, resulting in nearly black eggs. "I want to use fresh next time. You can also use frozen,"

A recipe on the Internet suggests rubbing fresh blueberries and cranberries on the eggs for a marbleized effect.

The length of soaking time will also affect the colors. Sprague soaked some of her eggs overnight in she said. the refrigerator, and those in the red cabbage were a dark, teal blue. When she soaked the next batch in the same mixture for six hours, the eggs turned a dark periwinkle.

Another popular natural dye is onion skins. "I didn't use them because you need a lot, something like a pound of skins, to make the dye," said Sprague. Class participant Carol Wooley of Cranberry had used onion skins and offered a suggestion. "I went to the grocery store and told them what I needed. They let me go through a box of onions in the back and take the extra skins. Wooley found her directions in a 1991 Martha Stewart Living Magazine.

To make the dyed eggs with onion skins, Wooley wrapped raw eggs in the onion skins, then wrapped the eggs in a square of cheese cloth. Next, she tied them at the top with a piece of string. The eggs are placed in a pot of cold water, brought to a boil and then simmered for 30 to 60 minutes. "The longer they cook, the deeper the color, " she said. "I use yellow and red skins and put them on the same egg. This makes a nice marbleized effect."

There is no doubt that dyeing eggs using natural materials takes longer than merely dropping a tablet in some water. There are two basic methods for dyeing eggs using the natural materials: cold water or boiling.

Sprague used the cold method in which the plant materials are boiled in water, cooled; then hard-cooked eggs are added to soak in the dyes. "Make sure you soak them in the refrigerator if you want to eat them," she said.

The boiled method involves dyeing the plant materials and the eggs at the same time. The heat ensures that the dye will soak through the egg and result in a deep, rich color. The eggs are boiled too long to be edible, however.

Sprague discovered that the types of materials that can be used for dyeing eggs are only limited by your imagination.

"There are so many more things that I want to try. I want to try carrots. I figure that anything that rubs off on your fingers will stain eggs as well."

Hard-cooking eggs

Sprague offers these directions for eggs that peel easily: Place 12 eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil. Turn off heat, cover and set a timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, plunge eggs into a waiting bowl of ice water. Cover and chill at least two hours.

Natural dye recipes
Each of the following recipes will dye six eggs.

Orange -- 4 tablespoons paprika in one quart of water

Black -- 1 can blueberries in one quart of water

Pink -- 1 bag of cranberries in one quart of water

Green -- 2 10-ounce packages of frozen spinach in one quart of water

Mocha -- 1 quart of strong coffee

Red -- 1 can sliced beets

Blue -- 1 head red cabbage in 1 quart water

Combine the water, dye material and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, then strain and cool. Store in quart mason jars or other containers. Place hard-cooked eggs in the jars and chill overnight. Drain eggs.

Spinach Salad

This recipe makes delicious use of leftover dyed eggs.

Dressing:

• 8 slices bacon, diced
  
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
  
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 cup water
  
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup white vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Salad:

• 1 pound fresh spinach, cleaned
  
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  
• 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
  
• Seasoned croutons

In a deep skillet, place diced bacon and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Remove bacon and leave 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Add onion and saute until tender.

In a bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly add water, vinegar and mustard. Drain off all bacon fat from onions. Return bacon to pan. Slowly stir in vinegar mixture and heat until mixture thickens.

In a large bowl, toss spinach and mushrooms. Drizzle with enough dressing to coat. Divide among six salad plates. Sprinkle each with cheese. Spread a sliced hard-cooked egg on top and sprinkle with some croutons.

Alyson Sprague

Egg Salad

Mustard and touch of lemon add zest to this classic.

• 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and diced
  
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
  
• 1 green pepper, finely diced
  
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
  
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• Ground pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well.

To make sandwiches, place a 1/2 cup scoop on a slice of bread. Top with lettuce leaf and other slice of bread.

Alyson Sprague