The Dishing of Poached and Soft-boiled Eggs

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 3-quart saucepan or sauté pan
• •2-quart saucepan for œufs mollets
• •Slotted spoon
• •Small cups for lowering eggs into water
• •3-inch oval and round cutters
• •Small paring knife
• •Lint-free kitchen towel
• •Wire rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the support

   Choose one support, not all four. Cut fried rusks oval for œufs pochés and round for œufs mollets, which are generally served upright. Use small oval Feuilletés beneath œufs pochés, and indented pastry crowns or small patties beneath œufs mollets. A forcemeat border may be oval or round, plain or indented, poached or oven-browned according to its own preparation; tartlet shells must already carry the garnish suited to the sauce. Have four plates or the serving dish warm before the eggs are cooked.

   The source offers a vocabulary of supports, not an instruction to serve every one together. Choose the support that belongs to the particular egg preparation and make it properly.
2. 2

   Fry the rusks

   If using rusks, cut the pain de mie into four ovals or rounds about 3 inches (7.5 cm) across and 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Hollow each centre slightly with the point of a small knife without piercing the base, then indent the rim if you want the classical ornament. Heat the clarified butter over medium heat and fry the rusks until evenly butter-gold and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on a rack and hold warm. If they absorb butter without colouring, lift them out and raise the heat before returning them; butter that is too cool makes a greasy rusk.

3. 3

   Ready pastry and sauce

   If using Feuilletés or tartlet shells, warm them in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes, just until the pastry is crisp. Ready the forcemeat border according to the preparation that supplied it. Bring the finished sauce called for by the particular egg preparation to a smooth coating consistency and hold it hot without boiling. If a roux-bound or reduced sauce tightens, loosen it with the hot liquid named in its own formula, a teaspoon at a time; if an emulsion thickens while waiting, take it off direct heat and whisk in a teaspoon of warm water. Ça se rattrape. If the sauce's own formula uses butter or cream, use the real thing.

4. 4

   Poach the eggs

   For œufs pochés, heat the cooking water in a wide pan until it barely trembles at 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C). Add the vinegar only if the whites seem loose, and never enough to leave a sharp taste. Crack each egg into a small cup, then slip it close to the surface, leaving room between the eggs. Poach for 3 to 4 minutes, until the white is set and the yolk remains fluid. If a white feathers outward, lower the heat and fold the loose white gently around the yolk with the slotted spoon; once set, trim the fringe instead of discarding the egg.

5. 5

   Or cook œufs mollets

   For œufs mollets, bring the cooking water to a gentle boil. Lower in the eggs and cook chilled large eggs for 6 1/2 minutes, keeping the boil steady but not violent. Transfer them to the ice water for 1 minute, only long enough to stop the fierce cooking and make them manageable, then crack and peel under the water. Rewarm the peeled eggs for 30 seconds in hot water before serving. If the white nicks during peeling, turn the damaged side toward the support and let the sauce cover it; if the yolk escapes, cook the spare egg.

6. 6

   Drain without mercy

   Lift the cooked eggs onto a folded, lint-free kitchen towel. Trim ragged edges from œufs pochés, then roll every egg very gently against a dry part of the towel until no water beads beneath it. This is the principle the whole entry protects: a single spoonful of clinging water thins the sauce and softens the support. Keep the eggs warm, but do not leave them sitting in water while you arrange the dish.

7. 7

   Sauce before dishing

   Set each drained egg on a warm slotted spoon or small dry plate and coat it completely with the hot sauce before moving it to its support. Lay œufs pochés lengthwise on oval rusks or Feuilletés. Stand œufs mollets upright in the shallow hollows of round rusks, pastry crowns, or patties. If using a forcemeat border, arrange the sauced eggs within it; if using tartlets, settle one egg into each garnished shell. Spoon over only enough additional sauce to restore the gloss, never enough to drown the crisp base. Serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use the freshest eggs for œufs pochés because their tight whites gather neatly around the yolk. Eggs that have rested for a few days peel more willingly as œufs mollets, so choose according to the method rather than asking one carton to excel at both.
• •The sauce is deliberately unspecified because it gives each named egg preparation its character. Make the sauce called for by that preparation and have it ready before cooking the eggs; the general rule here governs how it meets the egg and support.
• •Pain de mie should be firm and close-textured, not airy. Cut from the crumb, remove the crust, and hollow the centre without piercing it, so the rusk cradles the egg while keeping butter and sauce above the plate.
• •Both œufs pochés and œufs mollets retain fluid yolks. For guests who should avoid undercooked egg, use shell-pasteurized eggs or cook the yolks fully; the texture changes, but safety comes first.

Advance Preparation

• •Fried rusks can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Cool them on a rack, then restore their crispness in a 325°F (165°C) oven for 5 minutes before dishing.
• •Feuilletés and tartlet shells may be baked a day ahead and kept airtight once completely cool. Warm them briefly before serving so the pastry is crisp.
• •Œufs pochés can be cooked up to 8 hours ahead, chilled immediately in ice water, and refrigerated submerged in fresh cold water. Rewarm them for 45 to 60 seconds in water at 180°F (82°C), then drain with particular care before saucing.
• •Prepare the chosen sauce according to its own holding limits. Roux-bound sauces generally wait more patiently than warm emulsions, which should be finished close to service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 180g)