In 2008 I discovered a recipe in Bon Appetit for poached eggs with pesto & parm and ever since since it’s been in the regular FFA breakfast rotation. So I thought I’d share my interpretation of it. My recipe does not involve buttery sweet brioche but rather sourdough toast, which is more to my taste, and I add a few more ingredients to my pesto than in the BA recipe.
You haven’t really lived if you haven’t tried a simple poached egg served over a piece of buttered toast. Of course, the poached egg is a wonderful canvas that showcases many sauces, among them: benedict, spinach with mornay sauce, and now includes my favorite: pesto and parmesan shavings.
Poaching – Getting it right
Poaching an egg takes both a little practice and patience. But even a tween can poach an egg if they follow the instructions. Just remember a few tips:
- Keep time: It isn’t an egg you can walk away from while it’s cooking without disastrous effects.
- Eggs for poaching should be very fresh but if they aren’t, you can add a little vinegar to add acid to the water which helps coagulate the white so it morphs more quickly into shape during its short cooking.
- Watch your heat: Simmer when you poach, don’t boil
Softly, softly catchee monkey
If you’re new to poaching eggs, try cooking one at a time in simmering–not boiling–water that is deep enough to float the eggs. Boiling will blow your egg whites to pieces and have you beginning again with disgust. Gentle simmering is when small, scattered bubbles erupt in a random, occasional way, breaking the otherwise still-ish surface of the not-quite-boiling water.
Next, to achieve a nice, oval result, break your eggs into a small saucer first. Then, using a spoon, stir the water in the pan in circles around the edge of the pan while gently slipping each egg, one by one, into the center of the whirlpool. Continue to move your spoon in circles around the edges of the pan to help shape the egg. With a little experience, you should be able to poach several eggs at a time in a wide, shallow pan, turning them about halfway as they cook. You can also help to encourage coagulation over the top of the yolk by softly basting a bit of water over the yolk as it poaches. The total cooking time for a poached egg is 3 to 3 1/2 minutes.
Poaching ahead for a crowd
When you are poaching eggs for a larger group and the eggs are not to be served right away, after simmering them for 3 minutes remove them from the pan and slip them into a nearby bowl of cool water. Don’t use the microwave to reheat them as this will toughen your eggs. But just before serving you can gently slip them back into the simmering water. This will heat them through gently and keep them soft. The usual serving of poached eggs is two per person.
Poached Eggs with Pesto & Parm
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- A large handful of basil leaves, stems removed and cleaned
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons of shaved or grated parmesan cheese for egg garnish
- Olive oil to thin pesto
- 2 slices of sourdough bread, cut in half, toasted and buttered
- 4 whole fresh eggs
- 1 quart water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar (if your eggs are fresh, you may omit the vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Set two toasted bread halves on each breakfast plate.
- Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small blender and blend. While blending, pour olive oil over the mixture until it becomes sauce-like and somewhat fluid. Remove pesto from blender and set aside in a small bowl.
- Combine the water, vinegar and salt in a wide, shallow pan that is deep enough so that the eggs float.
- Break an egg into a small saucer.
- Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat until the water is simmering gently.
- Next, create a whirlpool in the simmering water using your spoon. Gently tip the egg off the saucer onto the surface of the water whirlpool. Continue to stir around the egg of the pan. Break the next egg onto the empty saucer and add it to the simmering water about 30 seconds after you added the first. Repeat this step until all four eggs are in the simmering water.
- Simmer the eggs gently until the whites are firm, basting the yolks with water and continuing whirlpool around the edge of the pan until each egg is oval shaped. After 1 1/2 minutes gently turn each egg over and continue to cook for another 1 1/2 or two minutes. Remove the eggs from the water, dry thoroughly and and trim any unsightly edges.
- Place an egg on each toast half and spoon a tablespoon of pesto over each egg. Garnish with parmesan cheese shavings. Enjoy.
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