#26 Learn how to poach an egg

I like to cook.  Well, I like to eat (reference earlier posts!).  And since I'm trying to be healthy (#20 on my list), cooking allows me to monitor the oil, butter and salt that restaurant food tends to have. Plus, I'm a good cook, so I find that I can cook better tasting food with less calories. 

I started cooking regularly when I moved to NYC after college. Which was eight years ago.  Yeah.  Eight.  And in all that time, I've never once attempted to poach an egg.  I'm good with scrambling, frying, and frittata'ing... but never poached.  Which may be surprising to some of you because I love a good Eggs Benedict.

Which is why one of the things I needed to learn how to do before I turned 30 is #26 Learn how to poach an egg.

Having no idea where to even begin, I of course turn to google.  I found several sites, but since I trust Alton Brown (of the Food Network) much more than a random person, I clicked on his youtube video, where he shows how to poach an egg in a 4 minute tutorial.  I don't know what people did before the internet... (actually I do... they used "The Joy of Cooking")

So before I make my poached eggs, I created something to put the poached eggs on. I've made Crab Cakes Benedict before, but with pan fried eggs, not poached... so this was the perfect opportunity for me to create a REAL crab cake benedict.  My recipe is at the end of this post!!

So now.  How to poach eggs, in the version as I understood it from Alton Brown: 
1. Take a large pan with at least a 2" lip and fill with 1 1/2" of water (seriously, use a ruler to measure this)
2. Bring water to 190 degrees - for my stove, that means boiling.

3. Place entire egg (yolk and white) in a small ramikin.  Do this for each egg you're poaching (each in their own ramikin).
4. Once the water temperature reaches 190 degrees, take slotted spoon and "scrape" bubbles off the bottom of the pan
5. Add 1 T white wine vinegar to water
6. Put 1 ramikin in the water and slowly let the egg "slide out".  It's important that you take your time, otherwise the yolk could separate from the whites, and thus no "pocket" forms for the poached look.  Repeat for each egg, placing the eggs in a clockwise circle to keep track of which eggs to take out first.

7. Set timer to 4 minutes and 30 seconds.  Let eggs cook, drink glass of wine:

8. Once timer goes off, use slotted spoon to take out the first egg, and place on a towel or paper towel to drain.  Repeat with all eggs in the order they were added to the water.

9. Place on dish and ENJOY!

So, that wasn't that hard in the end.  Did I have one egg yolk that separate from one egg white?  Yup I did (see above image), but that's why I made TWO poached eggs, just in case :)

The hardest parts of this exercise were cracking the eggs to not break the yolk, keeping the water temperature at 190 degrees, and sliding the eggs out just right so the yolk was not separated from the white.  Other than that, not sure why I waited so long to learn this technique???

The real test comes, of course, through the tasting. As I mentioned earlier, I needed something to put my poached eggs on.  Since I'm a huge fan of Crab cake benedict, I decided to go for my own recipe (which is adapted from a restaurant dish I tried and LOVED from a local restaurant called The Turning Point).


Kimmy's version of The Turning Point's Crab Cake Benedict
(serves 5-6)

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini
1 bunch grape or cherry tomatoes
15-20 medium sized shrimp (I go for uncooked frozen)
5-6 slices of whole wheat bread or whole wheat English muffins
Paula Deen's crab cakes (modified - instead of ritz crackers, I used bread crumbs and/or steel cut oats, instead of dry mustard, I used dijon mustard, and instead of the flour/peanut oil, I baked on 350 for 25 minutes)
5 eggs
1 T white wine vinegar
Hollandaise sauce (I used a "healthier" version from Dukan - 1/2 cup skim milk, 2 egg yolks, 1 t dijon mustard, 2 T fresh lemon juice)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Slice zucchinis in half, then using a mandolin, slice into 1/4" strips.  

3. Using a serrated knife, cut tomatoes in half.

4. Line baking sheet with foil, spray with Pam, add slices of zucchini and tomato, season with salt and pepper. Place in oven for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make Paula Deen's crabcake recipe, with the exceptions (noted above). Form in to 5-6 patties.

6. Remove zucchini and tomatoes from oven, move to separate plate.

7. Place crab cake patties on baking sheet and place in oven for 25 minutes.

8. Next, make Hollandaise sauce (you can use the lighter Dukan recipe or this recipe 

9. Add a tiny bit (1 T max) olive oil to pan, heat, and add shrimp, searing until browned on both sides (~2 mins each side)

10. With 10 minutes left, lightly butter the bread (each side), and pan fry.  If using English muffins, use a toaster or toaster oven to toast according to the package directions.

11. Begin poaching eggs with 5 minutes left (see above instructions).
12. Once eggs are poached, start to plate:

    - Place one piece of bread per plate.

    - On top of bread, add zucchini and tomato halves.

    - Place crab cake on top of zucchini

    - Top with poached egg

    - Add shrimp

    - Drizzle (or douse) with Hollandaise sauce.

    - Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning on top (1-2 Tsp each).

    - ENJOY.

Poaching eggs was MUCH easier than I expected.  And, of course, it always helps to have an amazing recipe to feature the poached eggs on! If you try this recipe, let me know your thoughts!