THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Poached Eggs
Fresh eggs will be easier to poach (they’ll hold together better) than older eggs. Vinegar is optional, it will help the eggs hold together, but if you don’t like the taste, omit.
Ingredients
n Fresh eggs
n 1 to 2 teaspoons vinegar
(rice vinegar works well) (optional)
Equipment needed
n Shallow saucepan with cover
n Slotted spoon
Method
n First bring water in a saucepan to almost boiling. If the water is already boiling, lower the heat until it is no longer boiling. At this point, you can add one or two teaspoons of vinegar to the water, if you want. The vinegar will help the egg whites to congeal more easily. We use seasoned rice vinegar.
n Working with the eggs one by one, crack an egg into a small cup, then place the cup near the surface of the hot water and gently drop the egg into the water. With a spoon, nudge the eggwhites closer to their yolks. This will help the egg whites hold together.
n Turn off the heat. Cover. Let sit for 4 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked.
n Lift eggs out of pan with a slotted spoon.
n One trick to make the eggs stay somewhat contained is to take a ring from a mason jar and place it in the pan. Drop the egg over the mason jar ring and let it settle in the ring, then turn off the heat and cover.
Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
n 8 pieces of bacon or 4 pieces of Canadian bacon
n 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, for garnish
n 4 eggs
n 2 teaspoons white or rice vinegar
n 2 English muffins
n Butter
Blender Hollandaise
n 10 Tbsp unsalted butter
n 3 egg yolks
n 1 Tbsp lemon juice
n 1/2 teaspoon salt
n Dash of cayenne or Tabasco
Method
n Start with the bacon. Heat a large skillet on medium low heat. Add the strips of bacon or the slices of Canadian bacon. Slowly fry, turning occasionally, until the bacon is browned on both sides, and if using strip bacon, much of the fat is rendered out (about 10 minutes). Use tongs or a fork to remove the bacon from the pan, set on a paper towel to absorb the excess fat. Don’t pour the bacon fat left in the pan down the drain! Either sop it up with paper towels when it has cooled a bit, or pour it into a jar to be used later.
n While the bacon is cooking, bring a large saucepan two-thirds-filled with water to a boil, then add the vinegar. Bring the water to a boil again, then lower the heat to a bare simmer.
n Make the blender hollandaise. To make blender hollandaise, melt 10 Tbsp unsalted butter. Put 3 egg yolks, a tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender, blend on medium to medium high speed for 20-30 seconds, until eggs lighten in color. Turn blender down to lowest setting, slowly dribble in the hot melted butter, while continuing to blend. Taste for salt and acidity and add more salt or lemon juice to taste. Transfer it to a container you can use for pouring and set it on a warm – but not hot – place on or near the stovetop.
n Poach the eggs.
n As soon as all the eggs are in the poaching water, begin toasting your English muffins. If you can’t get all the muffins toasted by the time the eggs are ready, gently remove the eggs from the poaching water and set in a bowl.
n To assemble the eggs benedict, butter one side of an English muffin. Top with two slices of bacon or 1 slice of Canadian bacon. You can trim the bacon to fit the muffin if you’d like. Put a poached egg on top of the bacon, then pour some hollandaise over. Sprinkle some parsley over it all and serve at once.
Basted Eggs
Ingredients
n 1 tablespoon butter
n 2 eggs
n 1/2 teaspoon salt
n 1/2 teaspoon pepper
n 1/4 cup water
Method
n Heat butter until melted; add eggs.
n Fry until white is starting to set.
n Salt and pepper to taste.
n Add water and cover immediately. The steam will cook the top of eggs; it takes just a minute or so, depending on how well done you like your eggs. Hard will be just like hard boiled eggs, that yellow color.
n Serve these with toast and fried potatoes, just like over easy eggs.
Baked Egg
Ingredients
n 8 slices (100g) leg ham
n 150g baby spinach
n 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
n 4 eggs
n Buttered toast, to serve
Method
n Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Lightly grease four 3/4 cup-capacity ovenproof dishes. Line base and sides of each dish with 2 slices of ham.
n Place spinach in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high (100%) for 1 minute 30 seconds or until just wilted. Transfer spinach to a sieve. Using the back of a spoon, press down on spinach to drain excess liquid.
n Divide spinach between prepared dishes. Sprinkle each with 2 teaspoons parmesan.
n Gently crack 1 egg into each dish. Season with salt and pepper. Place dishes on a baking tray. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until eggwhite is just set. Remove from oven. Stand for 2 minutes. Serve with toast.