Here's a recipe inspired by the traditional Milanese preparation of asparagus with an egg.
It's an opportunity, for those of you who were curious a few weeks ago, to use duck eggs, a preparation Mario Batali suggests.
Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg & Parmesan
1 Tbsp. olive oil
20 asparagus spears, trimmed (or tough ends snapped off)
2 Tbsp. breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon unflavored vinegar
4 large very fresh eggs (duck eggs would be nice here too)
1 2-ounce piece Parmesan cheese, shaved into thin strips
(optional: 4 strips thinly sliced prosciutto)
Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss asparagus with oil in small roasting dish then nestle together in dish. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle bread crumbs over; roast until another 5 minutes. Divide among 4 plates. Cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil with vinegar and salt. Lower the flame until to a gentle simmer. With a spoon, stir water in a circular motion to form a whirlpool in the center. Crack an egg into a cup. Lift the cup with one hand while you are stirring with your other hand, and as you stop stirring, ease the egg into the very center of the whirlpool. Repeat for the second egg.
Cook 3 1/2 to 4 minutes then remove with a slotted spoon and gently transfer 1 egg to atop asparagus on each plate.
Arrange several shavings of parmesan and optional strips of prosciutto over each serving, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
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OMG!!! I had this for the first time in Italy and it changed my life. Please, please try this recipe. YUM!
And the prosciutto (in strips/shreds) goes on top too? Just reading the preview of the recipe has created a prosciutto craving....
how does one determine the freshness of an egg?
hi Liz,
check this out for testing freshness of eggs:
http://www.eggs.ca/eggfacts/egghandling.asp
I grew up eating this dish on a weekly basis. It is truly comfort food
Um, how do you add the second egg? Do you cook them one at a time? Did I miss something?
This sounds great. Does anyone happen to have pictures of the egg-whirlpool process? I'm still working on my egg related skills. Just basic poaching is harder than it looks when my mom does it. Does the egg end up pretty or does it all end up in more of a sauce or a mush?
Chris - it's a little of both. When mine come out really messy, I slice off the strands and make it look more neat. The key is to stay calm and practice makes perfect. After you drop the egg in (start as close to the surface as possible), push any stray strands toward the center of the spinning mess; if you attack quickly, they might re-incoporate themselves into the main mass of egg whites.
Epicurious has a video that shows how to poach an egg using the whirlpool method:
http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/how_to/video/eggs_poached
If you're not experienced with poasching, I wouldn't do more than one egg at a time.
Thanks, Jimmy. I agree - one egg at a time. I still do it that way.
Can't belive someone had a video of this! Awesome, thank you Jimmy.
I tried this last night (before seeing the video above.) I didn't add vinegar to the water and I got quite a whirlpool going. It looked like a drain in Brazil... anyway... One egg was perfection and the other turned into a rubber ball. Now I know that I don't need so much circular force and I could probably use some vinegar. Thanks for inspiring me to try something new. Poached eggs are in the arsenal now.
two things:
What does the vinegar do?
Is there any reason why this would be preferred to just using an egg poacher?
Josh, re your first question: vinegar apparently keeps the egg compact; here's something from eggs.ca--tips on poaching eggs. check the last item: different liquids for poaching-
quote
A shallow saucepan with large surface area is best for poaching eggs.
For poached eggs with a compact oval shape, use the freshest eggs available. Rapid boiling will cause the egg to break up as it cooks.
A few drops of vinegar will keep poached eggs compact.
Poached eggs can be made ahead of time and held for up to two days. Undercook them slightly so that the yolks remain runny when reheated. Refrigerate, covered, or store in ice cold water, deep enough to cover eggs, until ready to use. To complete cooking, immerse in barely simmering water for 1 to 2 minutes.
Eggs can be poached in dry white wine, chicken broth or tomato juice.
unquote