Poached Eggs Colbert

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 3½-inch (9 cm) removable-bottom tartlet pans
• •Rolling pin and baking weights
• •Small heavy saucepan and whisk
• •12-inch (30 cm) wide shallow sauté pan
• •Slotted spoon and clean folded kitchen towel

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pastry

   Mix the 1 cup flour with the pastry salt. Rub in the 6 tablespoons cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few small flakes of butter remaining. Add the ice water gradually, stopping as soon as a squeezed handful holds together. Press the dough into a disc without kneading, wrap it, and chill for 30 minutes. Those visible butter flakes make the shells crisp; overworking them into the flour makes the pastry hard.

2. 2

   Blind-bake the shells

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter four 3½-inch (9 cm) tartlet pans. Roll the pastry about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick, line the pans, and press it neatly into the corners without stretching. Trim the rims and chill for 15 minutes. Line with parchment, add baking weights, and bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, then bake for another 7 to 9 minutes, until the bases are dry and butter-gold. If a base balloons, prick it once and press it down gently while warm. Ça se rattrape. Cool the shells in their pans.

3. 3

   Mix the beurre Colbert

   Warm the meat glaze only until it becomes fluid, then let it cool until barely warm. Beat it into the 4 tablespoons softened butter with the lemon juice, parsley, tarragon, a pinch of salt, and a little white pepper. The beurre Colbert should be smooth and soft enough to take with a spoon. If the glaze was too hot and the butter melts, chill the bowl for 5 minutes, then beat again until creamy. Transfer it to a small serving dish and keep it at cool room temperature.

4. 4

   Cook the macédoine

   Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and season it with most of the divided salt. Add the carrot and turnip. After 2 minutes, add the green beans; after another minute, add the peas. Cook for 1 minute more, then drain immediately. The vegetables should be tender but still distinct, each tiny dice holding its shape. Spread them over a clean towel and blot them dry. Wet vegetables thin the Béchamel and soften the tartlets.

5. 5

   Build the Béchamel

   Reserve 2 tablespoons of the milk. Melt the 1 tablespoon butter over gentle heat, whisk in the 2 tablespoons flour, and cook for 90 seconds without letting the roux color. Take the pan off the heat and add the remaining milk in three additions, whisking each one smooth before adding the next. Return to a bare simmer and whisk for 4 to 5 minutes, until the Béchamel is glossy and a spoon drawn through it leaves a clean path. Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. If lumps appear, take the pan off the heat and whisk firmly; if a few remain, strain the sauce and carry on. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Bind the filling

   Fold the dry vegetables into the Béchamel over low heat. The source says the macédoine must be cohered, which is exact: each dice should be coated and the mixture should hold together on a spoon without swimming in sauce. If it is loose, simmer gently for another minute. If it becomes stiff, add the reserved milk a teaspoon at a time. Cover and keep warm over the lowest heat, stirring occasionally so the bottom does not catch.

7. 7

   Stage the service

   Reduce the oven to 325°F (165°C) and rewarm the empty tartlet shells for 5 minutes. Warm four plates, set the beurre Colbert on the table, and have the hot macédoine beside the stove before the eggs meet the water. This order is the dish's governing principle. The eggs come last because a tender poached egg waits for neither pastry nor sauce.

8. 8

   Poach the eggs

   Fill a wide shallow pan with about 2 inches (5 cm) of water, add the vinegar, and bring it to a bare tremble. Crack each egg into its own small cup, then slide the eggs into the water one at a time, leaving room between them. Cook for about 3 minutes, spooning a little water over any exposed white, until the whites are set and the yolks remain soft. If a white feathers outward, use the slotted spoon to fold the loose wisps gently toward the egg during the first 20 seconds. Lift each egg onto a folded clean towel and trim only the longest ragged edges. Drying the underside keeps the pastry crisp.

9. 9

   Assemble and serve

   Unmold the warm tartlet shells and place one on each heated plate. Spoon in the hot macédoine, filling each shell to the rim, then settle a plainly poached egg on top. Season the egg lightly with salt and white pepper. Send the beurre Colbert separately, exactly as the formula requires, so each diner can spoon the herb-flecked butter over the warm egg at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Cut the macédoine evenly, about 5 mm across. Equal pieces finish cooking together and sit neatly under the egg; large irregular chunks turn a composed tartlet into vegetable stew.
• •Frozen petite peas are the honest choice outside their short season. They were picked sweet and tender, which serves this dish better than large fresh peas that have spent too long traveling.
• •Use a prepared meat glaze or unsalted demi-glace concentrate with a clean beef or veal flavor. Bouillon paste is too salty and forceful for beurre Colbert, where one teaspoon must deepen the butter without announcing itself.
• •Fresh eggs poach most neatly because their thick whites cling close to the yolks. For guests who should avoid soft yolks, use pasteurized shell eggs or extend the poaching until the yolks are firm.
• •Serve the beurre Colbert soft, not melted. The warm egg will melt each spoonful at the table, preserving the herbs and lemon instead of leaving an oily puddle in the serving dish.

Advance Preparation

• •The tartlet shells may be blind-baked 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, store airtight at room temperature, and rewarm for 5 minutes before serving.
• •The beurre Colbert keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator. Bring it out about 45 minutes before dinner and beat it briefly if it is not yet spoonable.
• •The macédoine and Béchamel may be prepared 1 day ahead and chilled separately. Reheat the Béchamel gently, fold in the vegetables, and loosen it with a teaspoon of milk if it has tightened.
• •For an easier dinner-party service, poach the eggs for 2½ minutes up to 2 hours ahead, chill them in ice water, and refrigerate. Reheat them for 30 to 45 seconds in barely simmering water, then dry them carefully before assembly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 235g)