How do you do the egg in Salade Lyonnaise?

Having some leftover bacon, and some Green City Market eggs, and having read the discussion of Salade Lyonnaise, well, Paul Bocuse doesn't have to fall from the sky for me to get a clue what I should make for dinner tonight.

It was fabulous, it really was, I wish I could give you a bite right now, but here's the question. Examine the egg in, for instance, this picture from May Street Market:



Rough-edged, so that it clearly did not come out of a poacher like perfect little round Eggs Benedict eggs. Yet not as wispy as the eggs I cracked into boiling water were. So how do they do that?

Did you have vinegar or lemon juice in your poaching water? That, plus a r e a l l y soft and slow entry can do the trick.

Geo

Mike G wrote:Rough-edged, so that it clearly did not come out of a poacher like perfect little round Eggs Benedict eggs. Yet not as wispy as the eggs I cracked into boiling water were. So how do they do that?

Mike,

Fantastic looking salad, have I mentioned I really like Salade Lyonnaise?

My poached egg technique sounds complicated, but is quite simple.

Bring 2-quarts of water, with 2 -tablespoons of white vinegar to help solidify the egg white, just up to a boil. (past a simmer, but not a rolling boil).

Gently crack an egg into a small cup/bowl.

With a large spoon carefully stir the just boiling water, from the outside, in a circular motion so there is a gentle vortex ((is this the right word) in the middle of the pot.

Slowly pour the egg directly in the swirling water, the egg will gently spin and, instead of the egg white dispersing all over the pot, will wrap itself around the yoke.

When the egg is to your liking, exact timing will take experimentation, remove with a slotted spoon, pat bottom of spoon on folded towel, to absorb excess water, and place on Salade Lyonnaise. Eat/Enjoy.

Enjoy,
Gary

Yeah, what Gary said!

Geo

I'd have never thought about the vortex - very nice. That salad looks fabulous.

A few additional hints for egg poaching:

1. Add as much as 10% white vinegar as quantity of water, to your pan. Seems like too much, but this will help the egg to coagulate without spreading all over.

2. After adding the eggs to the simmering water/vinegar mixture, they will naturally sink to the bottom of the pan. At this time, with your spoon, dislodge the eggs from the bottom of the pan. The eggs will now float and cook evenly all over, rather than sticking and spreading over the bottom (and overcooking on the underside).

I always bring the water all the way to a rolling boil then turn off the heat completely before inserting the egg. It helps the egg if the water is stiller (although the vortex trick sounds worth trying), and plenty hot enough to do the trick in three minutes (covered).

Keep eating (especially salad lyonnaise),
J. Ro

I am a fan of the vortex method (and will henceforth refer to it as such), but it has the unfortunate disadvantage of requiring that you poach a single egg at a time.

A thought just occurred to me, however... has anybody tried a modification of the cup technique along these lines:

Very lightly oil or butter a cup with a handle, crack the egg into the cup, and rather than gently dropping the egg into the water (as is frequently recommended), might it work if you gently submerge the entire cup in the water, and let the egg begin to set for 5-6 seconds before sliding it out of the cup?

Just a thought. Now I'm wondering if we have any eggs in the fridge.

Or is that what they always meant by "gently tip the egg into the water", and did I just state the blatantly obvious?

In any case, it works!







I oiled the cup lightly before cracking in the egg, and once in the semi-submerged position, I held it for a good 10 seconds or so before gently tipping the egg out. Turned out great! For me, at least, it's enough of an improvement over the typical methods to warrant making it my standard operating procedure

Almost forgot:



It may or may not be significant that the cup used for this procedure bore the image of Gromit. However, given his unusual affinity for the fusion of culinary and mechanical endeavors (porridge cannon, etc.), I can only assume that his visage helped me to achieve better than average results.

Dmnkly wrote:
Turned out great!

That is a handsome egg. Just curious, how many attempts did it take to produce such a photogenic specimen? I see at least two previous takes in the bowl in the background.

Actually, this was attempt number two. You see attempt number one in the BG, split in half (with shell). #1 was equally successful, but I didn't prepare the camera for the first specimen

Dmnkly wrote:Actually, this was attempt number two. You see attempt number one in the BG, split in half (with shell). #1 was equally successful, but I didn't prepare the camera for the first specimen

In that case, I am forsaking the vortex method for the uh... whatchamacallit method. You need to give it a name and then apply for a patent. Anyhow, we're having poached eggs for breakfast.

Dmnkly wrote:#1 was equally successful, but I didn't prepare the camera for the first specimen

Dmnkly,

Nice, though it looks like my 7-figure vortex method royalties just went out the window.

Enjoy,
Gary

My vote is for the "Gromit" method.

Nice mug.....I love those two! I especially like it when Gromit rolls his eyes and smacks his head.

Dmnkly wrote:It may or may not be significant that the cup used for this procedure bore the image of Gromit. However, given his unusual affinity for the fusion of culinary and mechanical endeavors (porridge cannon, etc.), I can only assume that his visage helped me to achieve better than average results.

Actually, your Gromit cup did have something to do with your results. I attempted this method with a thick walled mug, and was not as successful. Since I didn't have any thinner cups, I tried it with a small pyrex bowl held with a pair of pliers, and it worked perfectly. I am thinking some kind of glass ladel might be the perfect tool. Calling Ron Popiel...

Maybe even easier and less likely to result in scalded hands: use a large professional ladle (couple of bucks at a supply store [ed: no need for glass; you probably aren't using a glass pot, either]). Dip the ladle in the simmering acidified water, put the egg in the ladle, gently lower the ladle into the water until the outside of the egg is set up, lower the ladle even more until egg is cooked, lift out.

True enough, the more acid, the better the egg will set. But I really dislike the taste of pickled poached eggs, like those I was served at Balthazar, of all places. I'd rather have some "rags" with my less acidic eggs.

Jeff...

The thought had occurred to me. I'd be curious to see how they come out. I went with the coffee cup to try to avoid the egg poacher overly-defined shaped, theory being that in a sideways coffee cup, the egg would have room to swim a bit but would still be sheltered at first. I think a large ladle would be a winner.

People,

C'mon...cups???...ladles???...vortexes???

1. Arm yourselves with a great cookbook. Like Shirley Corriher's "Cookwise", or Pepin's "La Technique" or "La Methode".

2. Read chapter on eggs. Study. Read again.

3. Buy three or four dozen eggs.

4. Fill your pot with water. Add vinegar. Bring to strong simmer.

5. Poach eggs until done. Repeat until eggs are all cooked. You will soon be able to poach eggs like a professional.



Take all of your leftover, broken, less than perfect eggs and steam until fully cooked. Cool the eggs. Make egg salad.

A few more tips:

The freshest eggs make the best-shaped poached eggs; in older eggs the albumen thins and they're impossible to poach well. (Hard cook your old eggs -- older eggs are easier to peel.)

Use very cold eggs. The chilled albumen contracts when it hits the heat, holding things together.

For the prettiest shape, professional chefs trim off any raggedy bits with scissors or a sharp knife. (Since I'm the only person in my household who'll eat poached eggs, I never bother.)

I haven't tried this method, but a Julia Child technique involves cooking the eggs in their shells for 10 seconds or so before cracking them.