Breakfast the Tenth: to Poach an Egg

      In case you missed it, April 15th was National Eggs Benedict Day. Mark it on your calendar for next year. My Mom insists that, due to the decadence of eggs, ham, and Hollandaise sauce, eating Eggs Benedict is a sin, and therefore should only be committed once a year. I don't know about that, but I DO know that leaving the dish for a special occasion renders it extra luxuriant.
      I also know that if you order Eggs Benedict every time you see it on a menu, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Tough ham, lousy Hollandaise, and poorly poached eggs are bound to show up, and nothing makes me begrudge my restaurant tab more than knowing I could have made it better myself. So, my answer is to only eat this dish when it's made at home! And a proper Benedict starts with a well poached egg.
      Poaching eggs is one of those so-simple-it's-bound-to-get-messed up approaches to cooking. When done correctly, it's relatively quick, there's very little clean up, and the finished texture is perfection. When done incorrectly, you'll either have a rubbery egg or a liquidy mess. So let me give you the rundown, nice and easy.

1) Make sure your eggs are fresh. Fresh eggs hold their shape better, and they taste better, too!

2) Use a skillet or saucepan that's deep enough to hold an inch of water, and has a tight-fitting lid. Also make sure it's wide enough to provide at least a full inch of space between each of your eggs.

With a lower side, skillets are easier for egg transfer--but more important is a good fitting lid, so in a pinch a pot works just fine.

3) Put a splash of plain, white vinegar into your water. Just a splash--a teaspoon per egg will work just fine.

4) Put the water over medium high heat, and bring it to a low boil. While you're waiting, crack your eggs into heat-resistant cups! It's easier to smoothly slide an egg from a cup than it is to smoothly drop it out of a cracked shell. So dirty a couple extra mugs and just crack your eggs in advance!

If - IF - you've had practice, and your eggs are very fresh, you can crack more than one egg in a cup, because you'll be able to slide them out one at a time. But if you're new to this, don't try it yet--just stick with one egg per cup for now.

5) When the water is just come to a boil, slide in your eggs, spacing them evenly. Then quickly put on the lid, kill the heat, and set your timer for 5 minutes.

Gently boiling water. If it's a full boil, the eggs will break apart when you slide them in. If your water reaches a full boil before you put in the eggs, just turn down the heat and let the water cool to a hard simmer.

6) While you wait for the time to pass, make toast. Poached eggs are great on toast, whether it's sandwich bread, crumpets, or croissants!

7) When your timer goes off, remove the lid and lift an egg with a slotted spoon, carefully tilting to pour off extra water. Eye your egg closely: you want the white fully set - no translucent jelly bits - and the yolk still liquid in the middle. If you see undercooked white, return the egg to the still-warm water, clamp the lid back on, and let sit for one more minute.*

There will be days when your eggs are not as fresh as you thought. Not-so-fresh eggs may develop "streamers" or foam. You can fish out larger streamers of stray cooked egg white if you want, or just abandon them.

8) When your eggs are done, remove from the water with a slotted spoon, tilting to pour off extra water, and then slide onto your toast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, break open that yolk, and NOM!

Poached eggs are part of this complete breakfast!

      Poached eggs are my go-to for when I'm under the weather. Since there's no cooking oil and the toast is dry, it's a low-fat meal, and with white bread for the toast it's very easy on my stomach. If low-fat isn't your concern, however, you can add a layer of breakfast meat or cheese between egg and bread. It's also tasty to top your toast with caramelized onions and barely-cooked spinach. For a dressier meal, poached eggs also make a great topping for a plate of tossed salad, or pasta, or veggie-laden risotto. 

*You can also make your poached eggs ahead of time! Remove at the 5 minute mark, slip them into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking, cover the bowl and stash in the fridge. In the morning, just slip them back into simmering water for 30 seconds to a minute to warm them back up, and then serve!