I poached my first...

...egg.

I poached my first egg.

Sadly, I had not eaten a poached egg until fairly recently. The first time being a few months ago, in fact, and I had more just last week for brunch. I like them very much. They're delicate, creamy, and are great with toast... which is why I guess toast is such a popular accompaniment with poached eggs.

So, I wanted to try poaching an egg at home. My thoughts drifted back to the movie Julie and Julia (a wonderful movie), in particular the scene where Julie was about to poach her first eggs.

And she failed. And failed. And failed. Until finally, she got it right.

It's actually not that difficult, at least it wasn't for me. Granted, I only poached a single egg, but as long as I'm able to recreate the same conditions and use the same approach, there's no reason why I would fail in my future endeavors.

First, I referred to Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques. About 2-3 quarts of water. Check. White vinegar. Check. Fresh egg. Check. Bowl of ice water. Check.

Time to go in.

The result? Brunch at home: a leftover chicken salad made with mixed spring greens and tomatoes, a simple Dijon vinaigrette, and a poached egg.

Ingredient

Prep/Use

---

MEAT AND PROTEINS

Chicken, roasted or rotisseried	shredded or chopped into small strips. Mix with the salad
1 large fresh egg

PRODUCE

Mixed spring greens	for the salad, of course
1 tomato	chopped, for the salad

SEASONINGS

pinch of kosher salt

black pepper

LIQUIDS
*Note that I did not measure the liquids and the amounts listed below are approximations. You should use the amounts desired.

extra virgin olive oil (approx. 1/4 cup or amount desired)	for the vinaigrette
white wine vinegar (approx. 2 tbsp or amount desired)	for the vinaigrette
2 tbsp Dijon mustard	for the vinaigrette
white vinegar	for the egg (helps firm the egg white)
water	for the egg (see hardware)

HARDWARE

saucepan or small pot	for poaching the egg
2 bowls	1 with ice water, the with clean water for washing the vinegar off the egg
1 small prep bowl	for the egg
slotted spoon	for the egg

For the vinaigrette, whisk the white wine vinegar (not the white vinegar!), the Dijon, salt, black pepper, and olive oil together until smooth.

For the poaching of the egg:

1. Bring 2-3 quarts of water and the white vinegar to a boil in the saucepan or small pot.
   
2. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
• A simmer, by the way, is the state of a liquid that is just under a boil. It is sometimes referred to as a "gentle boil", and small bubbles will rise to the surface as opposed to the large bubbles you'll find in a rolling boil.
3. Break an egg open into the small prep bowl.
   
4. As close to the water's surface as possible, slide the egg into the water. Use the slotted spoon to gently lift the egg from the bottom of the pan.
5. Let the egg simmer for about 3-4 minutes, depending on how firm you want the egg.
6. With the slotted spoon, remove the egg and place in the ice water to stop the cooking. Then, move the egg to the bowl of clean water to wash off the rest of the vinegar.
• If you don't want to serve cold, then don't leave the egg in the ice water too long.
  
7. Drain the water from the egg (using a separate rack or carefully with the spoon) and place atop the salad.
   

If you want a hot poached egg, Pepin says to place the finished poached egg in boiling water for about a minute to reheat, then drain and serve.