The essay by Francis Lam (now a judge on Top Chef Masters) extolled the French omelet as the pursuit of perfection.

The French omelet is all about the egg. Perfectly executed, it contains just eggs, a little butter and oil in the pan, salt and pepper (though I prefer white pepper, so there are no black flecks to mar the pale yellow flesh of the finished product). It is smooth, no bumps or bulges of egg curd, the color of butter, and it melts in your mouth.

A French omelet, topped with a tomato garnish.

I recently asked Lam via Twitter (@Francis_Lam) if he still felt the same way about the omelet, as the pinnacle of perfection in the kitchen. His response: “Ain’t nothin’ changed!”

And that’s the beauty of French culinary technique. It doesn’t change, because the results stand the test of time. The same could be said for eggs.

History tells us that wild fowl were domesticated for egg production as far back as 3200 BC. According to the American Egg Board (home of perhaps one of the most catchy slogans ever, “the incredible edible egg”), there is evidence that there were domesticated fowls in North America when Columbus sailed the ocean blue. But, upon a return trip in 1493, he brought with him chickens that became the basis for the stock we know today.

Despite the increase in home chicken-keeping, Americans still get most of our eggs from commercial farms and the stalwart layer, the Single-Comb White Leghorn. U.S. commercial chickens produce about 75 billion eggs a year, or about 10 percent of the world supply.

Single Comb White Leghorns are produce a large share of the white eggs that Americans consume. Breeds such as Barnevelders, Rhode Island Reds, and more produce brown eggs of a range of shades. Araucanas produce blue and green eggs. Image credit: Woodley Wonder Works.

Two-thirds of those eggs are used by consumers, according to the Egg Board, while the rest are used by the foodservice industry and in egg products made by food manufacturers.

There are certainly plenty of other sources of eggs, with more showing up at grocery stores around the country: Duck, quail, ostrich and goose are among the more prevalent newcomers, and most can be used interchangeably with chicken eggs with attention to the portion. According to the American Ostrich Association, an ostrich egg is equivalent to about two dozen chicken eggs—so if you’re cracking one of these five-pounders, plan on company.

A duck egg surrounded by ostrich eggs. Image credit: John Federico.

An easy way to convert recipes is by weight. A chicken yolk weighs around 20 grams, while a white is about 30 grams. Convert accordingly.

That said, non-chicken eggs can be more of a statement on the plate. Pickled hard-boiled quail eggs are a visual delight on a fancy “ladies who lunch” salad. A single sunny-side up goose egg would look gorgeous atop a pan of griddled hash.

A spinach and hard-boiled quail egg salad. Image credit: Tuija Aalto.

As a home cook, I use eggs for so much more than baking. But my favorite use is homemade mayonnaise.

Once you’ve mastered the basics of making your own, you’ll never go back to the jar. The taste is pure and infinitely less sweet than the store-bought variety. (Anytime I taste something sweet that’s supposed to be savory, I immediately suspect corn syrup, which is a no-no in my kitchen.)

In its purest state, basic mayonnaise is the foundation for an endless supply of flavored cold sauces and salad dressings, fish toppings and dips. When I’m making a small batch, I don’t even bother with a food processor. Just a bowl, a whisk, and my imagination.

Making Mayonnaise:

• In a small bowl, separate one egg. Place the yolk in medium bowl, and put the white in a freezer-safe container. (Usually, I put it in a small zipped sandwich bag, label it with the content and the date, and I throw it in the freezer. Whites freeze with no discernible impact on their integrity. You can thaw them and use them as you would a newly separated egg – in meringue, to supplement an omelet, and in recipes. Measure either by portion, if that’s how you froze it, or by weight if you freeze a batch at a time. One white weighs about 30 grams.)
• To the yolk, add a touch of Dijon mustard (start with ¼ teaspoon, and increase to adjust to your tastes), a squirt of lemon (start with ½ teaspoon, adjust accordingly), and a pinch of salt. Whisk together until well combined.
• A typical yolk will absorb between 100-150 grams of fat or oil. I keep my vegetable and olive oils in squeeze bottles, so depending on whether I want a vegetable or an olive oil mayonnaise, they’re within easy reach. (The difference is in taste. When I’m making a garlicky aioli to top croutes or to blend in with a Bouillabaisse, I use extra-virgin olive oil to augment the taste of the Mediterranean; when I’m making a spicy Sriracha-flavored creamy salad dressing, I opt for the neutral palate of vegetable oil.)
• Whisk in the oil slowly, in a steady stream, until the mayonnaise is the consistency you want. If it starts to look greasy or curdled, stop drizzling in the oil and whisk it aggressively until it smooths out. Then keep adding oil to your preferred thickness.
• Taste for seasonings, and whisk in additional salt, lemon juice or mustard as desired. I also add a touch of cayenne pepper, which jumps up the flavor without adding heat. Use with caution.

Eggs, lemon juice, and oil: some of the ingredients you’ll need to make your own mayonnaise. Image credit: Katherine Martinelli.

Just a few of the things I use with this base:

• Lemon: Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest and additional lemon juice to thin the mayo. Uses: Creamy lemon salad dressing, sauce for broiled salmon or asparagus or broccoli.
• Lime and Sriracha: Add 1 teaspoon lime zest, lime juice and a squirt of Sriracha, to your taste and consistency. Uses: Amazing zesty and creamy salad dressing, perfect foil for crab cakes or salmon cakes, complements Merguez sausage.
• Garlic: Mince 1 clove garlic and whisk that in at the beginning with the mustard and lemon juice. The perfect aioli. Uses: Dip for raw vegetables, slather on grilled or toasted rustic bread, blend in soups to add depth and creaminess.

As for the humble French omelet, I must admit that most weekends, you’ll find me, like Francis Lam, at the stove, non-stick skillet in hand, in pursuit of the perfect omelet.

If you make your own omelets, try Martha Stewart’s simple instructions. It’s a different animal from the dry, browned version most of us grew up eating or the over-stuffed blob on the plate at most sticky-tabled diners.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that style of omelet. But, once you’ve experienced the ephemeral egg in perhaps its purest, most incredible, edible state, you may never go back.

Use these products from Hudson Made when preparing and serving your next delicious egg-based meal:

Flame-Blackened Wide Serving Spoon	Milk & Honey	Worker’s Apron

Laura Grimmer is a professional cook and sommelier who lives to eat, drink and provide sustenance. She came late to the culinary world, selling her PR firm and enrolling at the French Culinary Institute because of a borderline fixation on master chef Jacques Pépin. She left cooking school a classically trained chef with a deeply seated appreciation for tradition in the kitchen. www.perfectpairnyc.com

Recently we were invited to Brooklyn Grooming’s Bushwick studio/laboratory where Mckenzie chatted with us about her processes. What we learned is they source each of their ingredients from a certified organic farm in Oregon where, she says, “they have the highest quality of oils, butters and waxes that I’ve ever used.”

Here in Brooklyn, Mckenzie combines those components to create a wonderful collection including facial serum, pre-shave oil, beard oil, mustache wax and even a tattoo balm.

Hudson Made is thrilled to bring you Brooklyn Grooming’s entire line of products in two scents:

Fort Greene is “modern and timeless.” Named for the northwest Brooklyn neighborhood, it pays homage to the area’s rich musical history. With its invigorating aromas of juniper and rosemary pleasantly balanced by soft lavender and bergamot, you can use this scent to channel your inner playboy.

Red Hook is an “uplifting” nod to that area’s navy yard, cruise terminals and industrial history that also reflects the passion of the south Brooklyn neighborhood’s burgeoning artist community. Scented with West Indies bay rum and spiced with intensely aromatic cardamom, it is for the thrill-seeking swashbuckler in all of us.

With their products packaged in old-fangled medicine dropper bottles and vintage-style pomade tins, Brooklyn Grooming’s apothecary aesthetic recalls classic elegance and suggests a time when quality was grander than quantity, when artistry and excellence were paramount. That level of quality and care extends beyond just a visual motif, as Mckenzie whips up each batch by hand, ensuring that precision and artistry are steeped into every item they sell.

She gave us the rundown of her secret recipes and let us sample each of her treasures:

The Gentlemen’s Facial Serum is one that Mckenzie actually uses herself. It is a highly nutritive and reparative blend of plant and tree oils (including pumpkin seed and kukui nut) that acts as a moisture balancer for all skin types.

The Classic Shave Oil combines avocado, sesame and castor oils along with vitamin E to create an alternative to chemical foams and shave creams. The resulting emollient, based on a classic recipe, naturally lubricates the hair allowing for a burn-free, smooth shave that is soothing to the skin.

Organic sesame and hempseed oils provide the foundation for the Classic Beard Oil which adds moisture and fragrance to beards of any size. And by introducing moisture to the follicle, it can stimulate beard growth. (We’ve been using it ever since our visit, and the beard really is growing noticeably faster.)

The Mustache Wax puts an all-natural spin on the classic goop used to give shape, hold and pliancy to the whiskers. Thicker and denser than any ‘stache wax we’ve tried before, this blend of shea butter, castor oil and beeswax will add panache without the feeling you’ve glued the hair in place.

Finally the Tattoo Balm, which is unscented, is a calming salve created especially for inked skin using shea butter, vitamin E and hempseed oil. If you have tattoos old or new, you can use this as a healthy alternative to everyday petroleum-based ointments.

The idea that “what’s old is new again” is one that really speaks to us at Hudson Made. We recognize that old wisdom, craftsmanship and ingenuity are key ingredients in quality. And because Brooklyn Grooming represents our philosophy of locally-based artisanship, we welcome them to the family and congratulate them as December’s Artisan of the Month!

Sloan Rollins is a freelance writer who contributes regularly to Hudson Made’s ecommerce site. His work has been seen in Time Out New York, and he is a music and theater critic for edgeonthenet.com. sloanrollins.com

Letterpress printing is all about taking the time and effort to achieve something unique and handmade, without taking any of the shortcuts that modernity technology allows. The technique enjoyed its heyday from the 15th-19th centuries but has made a recent comeback, with trends in small business efforts to put manufacturing back into America and its localized economies—just one of the many reasons why we at Hudson Made are so taken with it.

“The letterpress process involves rolling a small amount of ink onto the raised surface of a plate featuring a design and then pressing the raised design onto a piece of paper, resulting in a rich de-bossed impression. Each card is fed into the press one piece at a time and one color at a time. It is a slow but rewarding process and the attention to detail and labor-intensive process generates truly one-of-a-kind stationery and paper goods,” says Breck.

Photo by Alejandra Russi.

Armed with a fine arts background and an 1885 Golding Jobber, Breck began her business in 1999, taking only a few years to turn it into a full-time project. The aesthetic is “heavily influenced by the Victorian era in which the machines first began printing.” Breck added, “I love the detailed etchings of 19th Century advertising cuts and beautiful botanical and animal illustrations. I share the Victorians’ fascination with nature, etiquette, taxidermy and other curiosities.” Children’s books and their “illustrations, colors and imaginative stories” have also inspired Breck. Vintage imagery with bright colors and clean, simple design gives Sesame a look and feel that is completely their own.

Photo by Alejandra Russi.

Though Sesame’s business has flourished, they haven’t forgotten about the importance of local raw goods. They source all materials locally: their main supply of paper from the Gowanus area of Brooklyn, their bookbinding done in Williamsburg, a family-owned business in Long Island City for their packaging.

Photo by Alejandra Russi.

Sesame is firmly rooted in Dumbo, but Breck also enjoys the many great destinations in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, the area she calls home when not in the studio. Some favorites include Pokpok, Frankies, Prime Meats and The Good Fork.  For stores she loves Bird, Power House Books, Pomme and John Derian. Check out these spots, and of course Sesame, next time you’re in Brooklyn.

Visit www.sesameletterpress.com for more information.

Tinware was discovered as useful for its hardening effects on copper and general ease in bonding. It is also synonymous with the Industrial Revolution, as many inventions were crafted out of this metal, and it also became a means of bartering.

With a history as rich as this, we are proud to have tin in our inventory. Materials like aluminum and plastic have gradually become favored, but we still prefer the original. Tin has many pros over other more modern materials, such as its high level of recyclability and its tamper-resistance. We’ll raise our (tin) cup to that!

Jonathan Simons handcrafted this ladle with care in Pennsylvania with sustainably-harvested cherry wood, and then achieved its rich color with a flame-blackening technique. He and his family have been crafting these stunning tools for decades now, and business is booming.

Add a ladle, and our other flame-blackened utensils to your collection, and behold the striking difference that it makes in your kitchen. And if the Halloween spirit has got you feeling particularly spooky, this ladle with look spectacular with a cauldron.

When it comes to the olfactory sense, first impressions are important and lasting. The only thing worse than having an undesirable odor and realizing it is having an undesirable odor and not realizing it. Before science confirmed, Proust himself knew the undeniable imprint that smell leaves on memory. So do yourself a favor and make that memory a good one.

Milder than cologne or perfume, Jao Brand Beardscent is compact, portable, airplane-friendly, and its scent is natural and subtle. It can not only perfume a beard, but also soften hands, feet and cuticles, tame flyaways, provide a shield against cold winds, seal in moisture, and heal chapped skin. With the added therapeutic quality, it’s basically the new frontier in fragrance.

A product so simple yet so necessary…you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

We love Storm King for its historical and artistic importance but also for its sublime landscape and vantage points. Rent a bike while there or stroll through the many sculptures and installations for a completely unique Hudson Valley experience.

(more after the jump)

by flickr user dhyasama

by flickr user dhyasama

by flickr user mrsexsmith

While visiting, be sure to check out the Light & Landscape exhibition there, which will continue through November 11, with tours of the beehives that are a part of Peter Coffin’s “Untitled (Bees Making Honey)” piece held every Saturday. All works in the exhibition play on the use of natural light as their essential artistic material.

Storm King is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10am-5:30pm through November 11 then open the weekends of November 17-18 and 24-25.

If you make it up there this weekend, also check out the Pumpkin Festival going on in Beacon on Sunday the 14th. (www.cityofbeacon.org/features/annual-pumpkin-festival)

For more information, visit http://www.stormking.org/

But are you aware of the mystical feature of beeswax candles that lies in basic chemistry? Beeswax releases negative ions into the air, which subsequently attach themselves to the positive ions, which are housing airborne things like dust, mold and other toxins and allergens. These ions then fall to the ground and away from our noses. Magical!

Goodbye, allergens! Goodbye, stress! Feel calmed and cleansed with candles made from nature’s most perfect ingredient.

A truly autumnal ingredient, and one we will be featuring in our specially curated gift sets, is maple syrup. Today, we are exploring maple syrup grades: how they work and which one, if any, is the best.

Maple syrup is graded based on its density and translucency, falling into one of five different categories: Grade A Light Amber, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, Grade B and Commercial Grade.

photo by flickr user lacylouwho

The perceived hierarchy between Grade A and Grade B is false, it is simply a matter of preference, much like that of beer or wine varieties. Grade A is typically harvested toward the beginning of the season (the converted sugar in maple trees rises in the sap in the spring), and ranges from delicate to full-bodied flavor. Grade B is robust with rich undertones of caramel, making it ideal for cooking and baking.

Whichever your grade preference, if you are one of our northeastern neighbors take advantage of locally-produced maple syrup and it is sure to be delicious. Happy fall!