Slow Poached Egg

Work has swept me out to sea, and with it my beloved blog. So now, I spend Sunday morning in bed catching up on things. And when I get hungry, I paddle over to the kitchen. The southern exposure in there is grand. I am in no rush, and in no need for frivolity.



A slow poached egg with ‘pan con tomate’. (I’d claim this all for Spain, but sadly, the Spanish don’t eat eggs for breakfast.)

The secret to this egg is to let it rest in a warm bath of 147 degrees. Herve This does a good amount of research on the coagulating temperature of eggs in this book Molecular Gastronomy. The whites begin to coagulate at lower temperature (142 F), while the yolks follow just a few steps behind (152 F). The secret is to poach somewhere between those two temperatures to create an egg white that is just set, and a yolk that will slide down you toast.

**Try to get the freshest eggs as possible. Let me tell you why. Fresh eggs have a tighter white. That means that when you break it open it isn’t incontinent. While poaching, you will have a conceivable egg white, rather than one that is feathered off in the water bath.

SLOW POACHED EGGS ON TOMATO TOAST (Serves 2)

- 2 farm fresh eggs, room temperature
- 2 slices of bread – I prefer good bread – Acme Sweet, Rustic sour, Pain au Levain
- 1 tomato, cut in half lengthwise (maximum surface area exposed)
- I clove of garlic
- Good olive oil – arbequina fits nicely
*Thermometer that measures 147 F. I use one that is intended for steaming milk.

1. Take a large pot and rub the bottom with a bit of olive oil. Attach your thermometer.
2. Fill the pot with water and bring to 147F on your burner. The larger the pot – the easier to control the temperature. You will find yourself teetering between turning the burner off and on. The more water, the more consistent the change in temperature.
3. Break the eggs into a small bowl. Gracefully pour the eggs into the pot of water, one at a time. Try to position them apart.
4. Slow poached for 35 minutes at a consistent 147F. Don’t disturb. After the first 25 minutes you can ever so slightly nudge the eggs with a spatula to make sure that they aren’t sticking. They may cook unevenly if they do.
5. 10 minutes before taking them out, toast you bread. When they are toasted, rub the clov of garlic onto the bread to give flavor. 2-3 passes should be fine. Rub the cut side of the tomato on the toast (same side as garlic) to transfer some of the pulp. If desired, pop the toast into a toaster oven, for a little more crisp.
6. Plate the toast and drizzle with olive oil. Carefully remove the gg fromt eh bath with a spatula and set on the toast. Drizzle with more olive oil and season.



Enjoy with a magazine or some company. It’s Sunday.

Comments

  1. Love love love poach eggs. Speaking of poach egg, remind me of one of those scene on Julia Julia movie. Have you seen it? It's hilarious.

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  2. mmmmm. yessssssss. i have a feeling this dish will be in my near future (as soon as i wake up).

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  3. i love poached eggs. i have plans to make one or two this week and serve them over frisee with warm bread crumbs. although there's nothing like dough to catch the perfect yolk.

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  4. ahh nothing beats poached eggs..thanks for the tip!

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