Fried Eggs à la Bordelaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •30 cm (12-inch) heavy skillet
• •Rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack
• •20 cm (8-inch) deep saucepan
• •Instant-read or frying thermometer
• •Wire skimmer or slotted spoon
• •Four small ramekins
• •Warmed oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Drain the tomatoes

   Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F), with a rack in the upper third. Scoop the loose seeds and watery pulp from each tomato half without piercing its walls, then trim a wafer from each rounded bottom so it will sit level. Season the cut faces with ½ teaspoon of the salt and invert them on a rack for 10 minutes. Pat them thoroughly dry. This draining matters: a wet tomato collapses into juice before its surface can brown.

   Choose tomatoes that smell ripe but still feel firm at the shoulders. Very soft tomatoes are excellent for sauce, but they cannot carry mushrooms and an egg.
2. 2

   Cook the tomatoes

   Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 30 cm (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Lay in the tomato halves cut-side down and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until their rims color and the cut faces begin to caramelize. Transfer them cut-side up to a rimmed baking sheet. Mix the breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon of shallot, half the garlic, 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, a pinch each of salt and pepper, and 1 teaspoon of oil from the skillet. Divide this among the tomatoes, giving each the pinch of shallot required by the source. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender but still able to hold its shape. These are the tomates à la Provençale, tomato halves cooked with garlic, parsley, crumbs, and olive oil. Lower the oven to 95°C (200°F) and keep them warm.

3. 3

   Sauté the cèpes

   Return the skillet to high heat and add the remaining olive oil. Add the finely minced cèpes in an even layer and leave them untouched for 2 minutes, then sauté, cooking quickly in the shallow pan, until their released liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms take a deep bronze, 5 to 7 minutes more. If they stew in a grey puddle, don't discard them. Ça se rattrape: spread them wider, raise the heat, and let every drop cook away before asking them to brown. Add the remaining shallot and garlic, cook for 1 minute, then season with salt and pepper and fold in the remaining chopped parsley. This is the cèpe garnish à la Bordelaise. Divide it among the warm tomato halves and return them to the low oven.

4. 4

   Fry the parsley

   Pour the neutral oil into a deep 20 cm (8-inch) saucepan, making certain the pan is no more than one-third full, and heat it to 180°C (350°F). The parsley must be completely dry, because water and hot oil are dangerous companions. Lower the sprigs into the oil with a wire skimmer in two batches. Fry for 8 to 12 seconds, just until the fierce bubbling subsides and the leaves become crisp and dark green. Drain on paper and season with a small pinch of salt.

5. 5

   Fry the eggs

   Crack each egg into its own small ramekin. Keep the oil at 180°C (350°F), then slide in one egg from just above the surface. Using two spoons, gather the spreading white around the yolk and spoon hot oil only over any loose white. Fry for 45 to 60 seconds, until the white is fully opaque and crisp at its edges while the yolk remains soft. If the white flies outward, fold it back around the yolk with the spoons; ça se rattrape. If it browns almost at once, pull the pan off the heat for 20 seconds. If it stays pale and greasy, reheat the oil before frying the next egg. Lift each egg out with the skimmer, drain briefly, and season it. Work one at a time. Brigade speed is scaffolding; control is the dish.

   Fresh eggs hold a tighter white and are much easier to gather around the yolk. Use pasteurized eggs if a soft yolk is unsuitable for anyone at your table.
6. 6

   Build the platter

   Arrange the four mushroom-filled tomato halves in a ring on a warmed oval platter. Set one fried egg squarely on each half, then mound the fried parsley in the center exactly as the source directs. Bring the platter to the table immediately, while the egg whites are crisp and the yolks still flow into the cèpes beneath them. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh cèpes have the meaty texture this garnish needs. Out of season, use frozen cèpes, thawed and pressed thoroughly dry before mincing. Dried cèpes provide excellent flavor but not the required sautéed texture, so they aren't an equal replacement here.
• •Bordelaise describes the treatment of the cèpes, with shallot, garlic, parsley, and olive oil. It does not mean that a red-wine sauce belongs on the eggs. The word carries the technique.
• •Use a thermometer for the frying oil. Properly hot oil sets the white before it can absorb much fat, while cool oil makes a heavy, wandering egg.
• •For a dinner-party first course, pour a dry white Bordeaux based on Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Its freshness handles the tomato and yolk, while its body stays with the cèpes.

Advance Preparation

• •The tomates à la Provençale can be cooked up to 2 hours ahead. Keep them at room temperature, then warm them in a 95°C (200°F) oven while the cèpes cook.
• •The cèpes can be cleaned and minced several hours ahead and kept covered in the cold. Sauté them close to serving so their browned edges remain distinct.
• •Wash the parsley early and dry it completely between towels. Fry it no more than 20 minutes before serving and leave it uncovered so it remains crisp. The eggs must be fried at the last moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)