Poached Eggs Argenteuil

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 4-inch (10 cm) fluted tartlet tins with removable bases
• •Rolling pin
• •Parchment and baking weights
• •Medium saucepan
• •Small heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Blender or small food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •12-inch (30 cm) wide sauté pan
• •Slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pâte brisée

   Combine the 1½ cups flour with the ½ teaspoon salt. Rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining. Add the yolk and 2 tablespoons ice water, stirring only until the dough begins to hold together; add the final tablespoon drop by drop if dry flour remains. Press it into a disc without kneading, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. Pâte brisée, short pastry, stays tender when the butter remains cold and the dough is handled briefly.

   If the dough cracks when rolled, let it stand for two minutes and patch the crack with a thin scrap of pastry. Press gently and continue. No drama.
2. 2

   Blind-bake the tartlets

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll the pastry about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick and line four 4-inch (10 cm) fluted tartlet tins, pressing it into the corners without stretching. Trim the rims, prick the bases, and chill for 15 minutes. Line each shell with parchment and baking weights, then bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the bases are dry and the edges are butter-gold. Cool in the tins, then carefully unmould.

3. 3

   Prepare the asparagus

   Trim the woody ends and peel the lower third of each spear if its skin is tough. Cut one green head from every spear exactly 1½ inches (4 cm) long, giving you 24 tips, then cut the tender stalks crosswise into small pieces. Bring a broad saucepan of water to a boil and season it with 1½ teaspoons of the divided salt. Cook the tips for 2 to 3 minutes, until bright green and tender without collapsing, then lift them into cold water. Cook the stalk pieces in the same water until fully tender, about 4 minutes. Cool, drain, and dry everything well.

4. 4

   Make the asparagus purée

   Purée enough of the cooked stalk pieces to produce exactly ½ cup (120 ml / about 115 g), adding no more than a spoonful of the cooking water if the blades need help. Pass it through a fine sieve so the sauce will coat the eggs smoothly. Keep the remaining cut asparagus for the tartlet filling. The purée should taste distinctly of asparagus and hold a soft mound, not run like soup.

5. 5

   Build the sauce crème

   Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 90 seconds without allowing the roux to colour. Add the warm milk gradually, whisking each addition smooth before the next, then simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add the cream and continue until the sauce is smooth, glossy, and reduced to exactly 1 cup (240 ml); season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the white pepper. Whisk in the ½ cup asparagus purée, preserving the source ratio of two parts cream sauce to one part purée. If it turns lumpy, take it off the heat, whisk vigorously, and pass it through the sieve. Ça se rattrape. Hold the pale green sauce over barely warm water.

6. 6

   Arrange the tartlets

   Set the tartlet shells on warm plates and divide the remaining cut asparagus among them. Arrange six tips in each shell with their points radiating outward like a star, exactly as the original entry directs. Keep the centres clear enough to cradle the eggs. If necessary, warm the filled shells in a 275°F (135°C) oven for no more than 5 minutes, loosely covered so the asparagus does not dry.

7. 7

   Poach the eggs

   Fill a wide sauté pan with 2½ to 3 inches (6 to 8 cm) of water, add the vinegar, and bring it to a bare tremble, about 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C). Crack each egg into its own small cup, then slide all four into separate areas of the pan. Poach for 3 to 3½ minutes, gently folding loose white around each yolk with a spoon, until the whites are set and the yolks remain yielding. If the water begins boiling, pull the pan off the heat until it settles; hard boiling tears the whites. Lift each egg with a slotted spoon, trim any ragged fringe, and drain it thoroughly on a folded towel. A wet egg dilutes the sauce, so this quiet little step decides the finish.

8. 8

   Coat and serve

   Place one drained egg in the centre of each asparagus star. Spoon the warm sauce over the egg until the white is generously coated while the green points remain visible around it. The sauce should fall in a soft veil and pool slightly inside the tartlet; if it has tightened while waiting, loosen it with a teaspoon of warm milk. Serve immediately, while the pastry is crisp and the yolk still flows. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Argenteuil means asparagus here, and the tips are part of the dish's structure. Choose firm spears with tight heads and freshly cut ends. Frozen asparagus can make a respectable purée, but it cannot provide the six poised green tips each tartlet requires; outside the season, Œufs pochés Florentine is the honest cousin.
• •Fresh eggs poach compactly because their whites are still thick. If your eggs spread badly in a test poach, strain each raw egg for a few seconds through a fine sieve before sliding it into its cup; the watery outer white falls away.
• •Keep the sauce ratio exact: 1 cup cream sauce to ½ cup asparagus purée. More purée buries the cream sauce and turns the coating heavy; less leaves Argenteuil with little more than a green tint.
• •For a spring dinner or Easter lunch, pour a dry Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire. Its freshness is particularly good with asparagus, cream, and a soft yolk.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the tartlet shells up to one day ahead. Cool them completely and store them airtight at room temperature; return them to a 325°F (165°C) oven for 4 minutes if they need their crispness restored.
• •Cook the asparagus, make the purée, and prepare the cream sauce up to 4 hours ahead, keeping all three separate and chilled. Reheat the sauce gently, measure it back to 1 cup, and add the ½ cup purée shortly before serving so the green colour stays lively.
• •For a calmer dinner-party service, poach the eggs up to 2 hours ahead and chill them in cold water. Rewarm them for 45 to 60 seconds in very hot water, then drain thoroughly before setting them in the tartlets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 320g)