There really is nothing like a poached egg. That oozy yellow
yolk that tastes like the most wonderful cheese sauce you have ever had!!!....
well, its just fantastic.
I grew up eating scrambled eggs. There was the occasional
hard-boiled or over-easy egg, but it was mostly the drudgery of scrambled eggs.
And then one day, I decided I was going to try poaching an egg…
…okay, I wanted to make eggs benedict and that was the only
thing I did not know how to do.
I was not successful on the first try…to put it mildly. I
went through many a hard-boiled egg or barely cooked egg. But eventually, I got
the hang of it and managed to get the process down pat. I’ve demonstrated how I
make them, so it should diminish the number of attempts you will need, but
don’t be upset if it doesn’t work the first time.
When you are determining how long you are going to cook your
poached egg, you have to decide how thick of a yolk you want. I like the very
exterior of the yolk to be just slightly coagulated and the rest of the yolk to
be the consistency of thick syrup. My timing in the recipe and video is based
on this preference (cooked medium). If you want a runnier yolk (cooked soft),
reduce your cooking time by about 30-45 seconds.
When you pull the egg out of the pan with a slotted spoon,
place it on a plate that has one or two paper towels on it. This will allow the
moisture to run off. When plating your egg, use the spoon to “trim” the thin
edges off of the egg. This should give it that nice finished oval or round
appearance.
For the most part, you are going to have poached eggs in the
morning. I like to have mine with some Greek seasoning and a little bit of
thyme. I also like to put some Tabasco on them, if I’m feeling like a bit more
flavor. Serve with a bit of toast and it is the perfect breakfast.
But poached eggs also make a wonderful additional to meals...
Comfort food is great, but it can get old very quickly.
While I love nothing more than a classic grilled cheese with gooey American
slices, it can get…dull…
So I wanted to show you how to make Croque Madame. A Croque Madame
is a grilled cheese with lipstick and a dress! And thank goodness for it! If
you are a cheese lover, you will love this meal, and it can be a great brunch,
lunch, or dinner.
I have left out giving you a recipe for a grilled cheese
sandwich. Any college student can show you how to do those if you have somehow
made it by living under a rock. However, when you are doing your Croque Madame,
try something other than American cheese. I like Muenster because it melts well
and has a nice soft and sweet flavor. Swiss or Gruyere is also nice, but any
melting cheese will do.
When choosing a ham, I recommend spending the money and
buying a high quality deli ham. I strongly advise making choices that avoid the
nitrates that you find in so many deli or packaged hams. Who needs all those
chemicals?!?
If you are in the Portland, Oregon area, I recommend getting
your ham from Tails and Trotters:
Their hazelnut-finished ham is silky, flavorful and perfect
for the Croque.
For bread, I use a whole-wheat sourdough or a rustic white.
But you can use whatever you like.
Béchamel Sauce is really just a fantastic and easy sauce to
use on for many recipes. It is particularly good on this sandwich, but it’s
also great to add to risotto, to top steaks, to cover vegetables, or even to
add to a homemade macaroni and cheese. It is robust but mild enough to
compliment, not take over, the flavor of its companion. (I particularly like béchamel as the top layer
of a steak that has a disc of foie gras melting on it…Delicious!)
If you want to cut down on the fat of the béchamel, using a
poultry or beef stock is perfectly acceptable. I just happen to like the gooeyness
of the milk based sauce. I use Swiss (or emmantel) and Parmesan for my
béchamel. I’ve used other melting cheeses, but I think these produce the
perfect flavor.
Be creative when you are putting your sandwich together. In
the video, I prop up one side of the sandwich and put some asparagus in between
the two halves of the sandwich. I think it gives it a nice presentation. I also
serve with a bit of whole-berry cranberry sauce. It adds some sweetness to the
sandwich and the color compliments it well. I used canned cranberry sauce for
speed, but you can also make your own cranberry sauce.
I made this meal for seven and it took me only half an hour.
It’s a great meal, it looks gourmet, and it’s easy to do!
Enjoy!
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