This months Daring Cook's challenge was poached egg. Too easy for me as it's the only way I eat egg. When I worked in the hotel in London I helped in the kitchen for a few months. One Friday morning I arrived at the hotel at 5:45am to start my 6am shift. I heard sounds of chaos coming from the kitchen. The night porter was battling with orders and the chef had not arrived. I quickly put on uniform and jumped in to help him. The hotel has 44 rooms. The only option for breakfast was in room dining. Usually the early orders are fruit platters and croissants. The breakfast orders are usually well spread out between 5:30am and 10am. Not this particular morning. We had over 30 orders between 6am and 7am. No chef, one elevator the night porter, the scullery man and myself. The first 5 orders were for Eggs Benedict. The patience of poaching the eggs, grilling the English muffin and perfecting the freshly made hollandaise sauce, putting it all together (perfectly timed) and gratinating the entire dish for a few delicate minutes, all came to play.
What did I do? I put on the apron and got cooking. The chef had trained me on the breakfast dishes so I knew what to do. It's the multi-tasking and timing that takes practice. The scullery boy was Spanish and spoke minimal English but I managed to get him to scrambled las huevos, chopa da fruita and other broken words (I think I added in Afrikaans too) thrown together to create our own language.
Somehow we did it. The other room service lady rushed in at 8am. She was phoned to come in earlier but if you live 1 hour away, there is only so much you can do. The chef ran in at 8am too. But by then breakfast was over. Guests had full tummies and no one knew that I had prepared all those pancakes, full englishes, eggs benedict, eggs florentine and eggs royale.
The head chef had changed the schedule the night before, but had not bothered to tell anyone. If he had, I may not have been thrown into that very deep end and may never have been forced to learn to make the perfect hollandaise and master the art of poaching eggs. When the challenge called for Eggs Benedict, I groaned. So I researched alternate methods of serving poached egg and in a way that MrB could also enjoy it (remember he is lactose intolerant and does not eat salads and most vegetables).
"All poaching means is cooking something in simmering (not boiling) water. And what more perfect way to practice the skill of poaching than learning how to poach an egg? They can make a tasty breakfast, or salad accompaniment; there are so many different ways to use poached eggs, and they are used in cuisines from a variety of cultures."
Guidelines for poaching eggs:
Use the freshest eggs possible.
Put a pot of water on the stove to boil (fill it to about 3/4, no more)
Use a small pot for one egg or a larger pot for more eggs (We used a stock pot at the hotel for about 10 eggs at a time)
Throw in a dash of white vinegar. I've used various amounts. It won't effect the flavour it just an acid to help coagulate the egg (as far as I understand).
The water must not be boiling. Allow bubbles to form at the base of the pot, then you know the water is hot enough.
The chef told me to crack the egg into a tea cup and not directly into the water. This guarantees that a beginner gets the egg into the water quickly and smoothly. The egg needs to fall into the water as a whole and not in a long line. Hold the tea cup just over the water and flick your wrist to tip in quickly. He used a spoon to spin the water slowly to create the "money bag" appearance.
Someone else I worked with put the eggs into plastic food bags and dropped these into the water. It also produced beautiful eggs but I'm not certain about plastic and hot water being safe.
Now you cook the eggs for as long as you want to get the perfect texture.
A cooked egg with a runny centre - 2-3 minutes
A cooked egg with the yolk firm but the centre still slightly runny 3-4 minutes
A cooked egg with firm but not a dry yolk (this is how I like it) 4-5 minutes
The more you cook them, the better you will be at judging the doneness by the appearance of the yolk.
Use a slotted spoon (like a pasta spoon) to scoop out the eggs. Dry them on paper towel as often water catches in the folds. Remember, egg cooks after it's been removed from heat so you want to serve it as soon as possible.
At the hotel we trimmed stray pieces to create presentable eggs. Don't be discouraged if your eggs don't look like your favourite breakfast spot's presentations.
I detest a microwave poached egg - they just don't taste the same!
I've yet to find a good Eggs Benedict in South Africa. My friend served close to perfect Eggs Benedict for me at her restaurant (180 degrees in Bryanston) but has since closed shop and moved away. Alas, I need to return to London to get the best again.
Why have I not found the perfect Eggs Bennie?
- they don't use traditional English Muffins
- The ham is not the correct thickness (these days I prefer Florentine or Royale anyway)
- The hollandaise is either runny or does not contain enough acid which smacks of instant mixes or poor substitutes
- Very very often, the chef does not gratinate the final product
Back to how I served my poached eggs as a light supper.
Roast potato filled with poached egg and topped with cheese
Bake a potato until done. (I sometimes cheat and microwave them until they're half cooked and then finish them off in the oven - but shhhh)
Make a basic white sauce (butter, flour and milk). We used an instant sauce packet as we were in a rush.
Grate some cheese (i used mozarella for me and chevin for MrB as it's dairy free)
Poach your egg to a medium stage (I made the mistake of poaching it until completely done). Once done, keep aside.
Allow the potato to cool and then cut off the top about 2/3 up (like a lid) and scoop out the flesh. Be careful not to scoop it all the way through - leave the bottom intact. You're going to fill the potato again.
Mash the potato and mix in some spices.
Line the bottom of your potato with a bit of the white sauce and mashed potato. Add the poached egg. Top with more mash potato and white sauce. Finish with some grated cheese.
Grill in the oven until the cheese is melted. (This is where I went wrong as my egg continued to cook and the result was a slightly overdone egg)
Once done, remove from the oven and serve with a salad of your choice.
I enjoyed the dish but I would make a few modifications next time. I have also learnt my lesson about cooking a poached egg twice.
(the photos are cellphone photos - please excuse the quality!)
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