Poached Eggs Mornay

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (1.9 L) heavy saucepan
• •12-inch (30 cm) wide sauté pan
• •14-inch (35 cm) ovenproof platter
• •Broad slotted spoon
• •Thin metal spatula or fish slice
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the glaze

   Set an oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler and place a large ovenproof platter nearby. Mix the topping Gruyère, Parmesan, and fine bread raspings with your fingers so the cheeses are evenly dispersed. These raspings are very fine fresh breadcrumbs, not coarse crumbs; they drink in the butter and give the glaze its delicate bronze crust. Begin heating the broiler on its highest setting when the Mornay is nearly finished.

2. 2

   Build the Mornay

   Make a roux blanc, a white roux: melt the sauce butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk in the flour, and cook for about 2 minutes. It should look sandy and smell faintly of warm biscuit without taking colour. Add the warm milk in three portions, whisking each one completely smooth before adding the next, then simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes until the sauce nappes, coating the back of a spoon in an even veil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the Gruyère and Parmesan by handfuls, stirring until each melts before the next goes in. Season with salt and white pepper. Keep it warm without boiling. If the cheese turns grainy, remove the pan from all heat and whisk in a spoonful of cool milk; if lumps remain, pass the sauce through a fine sieve. Ça se rattrape.

   The finished Mornay should cloak an egg without falling off in a heavy paste. If it tightens while waiting, loosen it with a spoonful of warm milk.
3. 3

   Fry the toasts

   Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until a loose breadcrumb sizzles immediately on contact. Fry the pain de mie in batches for 30 to 45 seconds per side, until crisp and evenly golden rather than dark brown. Drain the pieces on a wire rack so their undersides remain crisp. If the first toast drinks oil without colouring, the oil is too cool; lift it out, let the oil recover, and fry it again briefly.

4. 4

   Poach the eggs

   Bring 2½ inches of water to a bare tremble in a wide sauté pan. Crack each egg into its own small cup, then slip four eggs into the water with space between them. Fold any loose white gently toward its yolk during the first few seconds and poach for 2½ to 3 minutes, until the whites hold together but remain tender and the yolks are still very loose. Lift them with a slotted spoon, blot the bottoms carefully on a folded towel, and repeat with the remaining eggs. Trim only the wildest wisps. If a white feathers, the sauce will cover an honest edge; don't keep cooking the yolk in pursuit of a perfect oval.

   Fresh eggs hold the neatest shape. More mature eggs still taste fine, but their thinner whites spread farther in the pan.
5. 5

   Coat and transfer

   Brush a shallow metal tray with a few drops of the melted finishing butter and set the drained eggs on it. Spoon the hot Mornay generously over each egg, covering the white while leaving its rounded shape visible, then besprinkle each with the Gruyère, Parmesan, and bread-rasping mixture. Slide a broad, thin spatula completely beneath each coated egg and transfer it carefully onto a fried toast. Arrange the eight toasts in a ring on the ovenproof platter and dot the tops with the remaining melted butter. This order follows the dish: coat first, transfer with care, then glaze.

6. 6

   Glaze at fierce heat

   Place the platter beneath the fully heated broiler and watch without stepping away. Glaze for 45 to 90 seconds, turning the platter if necessary, until the cheese is mottled gold and the sauce shows small bubbling blisters at its edges. This is glazing, not a second cooking. If colour comes slowly, move the platter closer to the heat instead of leaving the eggs there longer, because prolonged heat hardens the yolks. Carry the platter straight to the table while the toast is crisp and the sauce gleams. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Grate the Gruyère and Parmesan yourself. Pre-grated cheese is often coated to prevent clumping, and that coating can leave a Mornay dull and grainy.
• •Use a pain de mie with a close, even crumb. An open-holed country loaf releases the sauce through its gaps, while a thin sandwich slice collapses beneath the egg.
• •Taste the Mornay only after the cheeses have melted. Gruyère and Parmesan bring their own salt, and seasoning the milk too boldly before they arrive can make the finished sauce harsh.
• •For guests who should avoid undercooked eggs, use pasteurized shell eggs. The defining texture is a flowing yolk, so the ingredient must suit the person eating it.
• •At dinner, pour a dry sparkling wine or a brisk unoaked white. Acidity clears the richness of cheese, butter, and yolk without competing with the eggs.

Advance Preparation

• •The Mornay can be made one day ahead. Press parchment directly against its surface, chill it, then reheat over low heat with a spoonful of milk, whisking until smooth.
• •The eggs can be poached up to four hours ahead and lowered into ice water as soon as their whites set. Keep them chilled, rewarm them for about 45 seconds in hot water, and blot them thoroughly before coating.
• •The Gruyère, Parmesan, and bread-rasping topping can be mixed a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Fry the toast shortly before assembly so it stays crisp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 305g)