What to do with those leftover egg yolks? This is a question I asked myself over and over while developing a (perfect, if I do say so myself) recipe for Olive Oil Buttercream. The recipe employs four egg whites, and I tested it multiple times, which means I had multiple batches of four egg yolks left over.
Turns out, four is an awkward number of egg yolks to use up! Many recipes call for 2; many ice creams call for 6. But four? Tougher to navigate.
So I have made a collection of twenty worthwhile recipes that employ four egg yolks exactly. If you find yourself with 4 leftover egg yolks (like when you make my olive oil buttercream recipe), give one of these a try!
20 recipes with 4 egg yolks
Chocolate or vanilla pudding. Thanks, Martha! (Martha Stewart)
Julia Child's chocolate mousse. (Bran Appetit)
Espresso zabaglione. Fancy-sounding, but so easy to make. (Food Network)
Eggnog. This recipe calls for one yolk per serving; 4 servings means a party, right? (About.com) *bonus - all of these recipes call for an egg yolk each, as well. (Bar None Drinks)
Luscious, lovely, lemon curd. (Chow.com)
"What-to-do-with-all-the-egg-yolks-bread". Well, that's useful! (Food.com)
Olive oil ice cream. Creamy, nutty, fancy tasting. (Bon Appetit)
Egg yolk cookies. Rich little morsels. (Snapguide.com)
Spanish egg custard. (About.com)
French buttercream. Silky, sexy, delicious. (Serious Eats)
Cinnamon creme anglaise. It tastes like melty ice cream, in a good way. (Cooking Light)
Creme brûlée. It's actually pretty easy to make. (Eggs.ca)
Crema Catalena. Like creme brûlée, but SPANISH. (About.com)
Classic key lime pie. (Epicurious)
Easy banana pudding. A southern classic! (Chow.com)
Pastry cream. Perfect for so many fillings. (King Arthur Flour)
Hazelnut buttercream (nestled within a recipe with many components). (Chef Bernard)
Mojito key lime pie. Yes. (Baking Bites)
Sugarplum-orange and Earl Grey-apricot tarts. (Epicurious)
Lemon pound cake. Luscious! (Italian Dessert Recipes)
Bonus: Grapefruit-Vanilla Curd. Technically you'll need three whole eggs, too, but 4 egg yolks are called for in addition to the whole eggs. (Serious Eats)
Bonus 2: how to freeze leftover egg yolks. My friend Nicole over at Baking Bites has a helpful post on the subject! Check it out here.