Poached Eggs Over Braised Greens on Multigrain Toast
Fantastic for lunch, brunch, a snack or supper!
Ingredients:
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vinegar
1 pound braising greens, such as spinach or baby kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Multigrain bread, sliced and toasted
Method:
1. To poach the eggs, half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add a hefty pinch of salt. Meanwhile, crack each egg into its own small bowl and add a teaspoon of vinegar to each. Stir the boiling water vigorously with a balloon whisk until you have a whirlpool then immediately (and softly!) slip the egg into the pot. Turn the heat down low, and cook for three minutes. Gently lift eggs out of the pot and drain on paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the greens and cook until all are just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
3. To serve, top a piece of multigrain toast with a hearty helping of greens and a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with microgreens.
Poached Duck Eggs over Sautéed Spring Greens & Hedgehog Mushrooms
These creamy poached eggs are perfectly complemented by flavorful kale rapini, pea shoots and Swiss chard greens.
Ingredients:
4 duck eggs
4 teaspoons vinegar
1 large bunch kale rapini, removed of any tough stem ends, florets reserved and greens roughly chopped
1 large bunch Swiss chard, removed of any tough stem ends and greens roughly chopped
2 cups pea shoots
2 cups Hedgehog mushrooms, trimmed of any tough ends
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Grana-style cheese, grated, and crispy breadcrumbs (optional)
Method:
1. To poach the eggs, half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add a hefty pinch of salt. Meanwhile, crack each egg into it’s own small bowl and add a teaspoon of vinegar to each. Stir the boiling water vigorously with a balloon whisk until you have a whirlpool then immediately (and softly!) slip the egg into the pot. Turn the heat down low, and cook for three minutes. Gently lift eggs out of the pot and drain on paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rapini greens and florets, pea shoots, Swiss chard greens and mushrooms and cook until all are just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
3. To serve, add a serving of greens and mushrooms to a plate, and then top with a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper, as needed, and top with grated Grana-style cheese and crispy breadcrumbs, if desired.
Poached Duck Eggs over Sautéed Beet & Turnip Greens
This elegant presentation is sure to wow any dinner guest.
Ingredients:
3-4 duck eggs
1 bunch each turnip and beet greens, washed and patted dry
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. To poach the eggs, half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add a hefty pinch of salt. Meanwhile, crack each egg into its own small bowl and add a teaspoon of vinegar to each. Stir the boiling water vigorously with a balloon whisk until you have a whirlpool then immediately (and softly!) slip the egg into the pot. Turn the heat down low, and cook for three minutes. Gently lift eggs out of the pot and drain on paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter or heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the greens and cook until they are just wilted and tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
3. To serve, add a serving of the greens to a plate, and then top with a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.
Variation: This dish is also excellent served with roasted root vegetables, such as beets, turnips or carrots.
Duck Egg Frittata with Braising Greens
Packed with fingerling potatoes, greens and Grana-style cheese, this easy frittata boasts incredibly fresh flavor.
Ingredients:
6 duck eggs
1 pint fingerling potatoes, washed and thinly-sliced
4 cups braising greens, torn into bite-sized pieces as needed
1 clove garlic
½ cup grated Grana-style cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced potatoes to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and then sauté for about 6 to 8 minutes, until tender but firm. Remove from the skillet. Add another tablespoon of oil, then add the greens. Sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until the greens are just wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the skillet.
3. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, cheese and thyme with a pinch of salt and pepper. Return the potatoes to the skillet, arranging in an even layer at the bottom. Top with the greens and then pour eggs evenly over. Drizzle olive oil around the edge of the pan to ensure easy removal.
4. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the eggs have completely set in the center. Serve straight out of the skillet, cut into wedges, or flip onto a serving plate.
Poached Duck Egg Salad
The lovely runny egg yolk becomes the vinaigrette for this beautiful salad.
Ingredients:
3-4 cups baby lettuce greens
2 duck eggs
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Toasted pecans (optional)
Method:
1. To poach the eggs, half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add a hefty pinch of salt. Meanwhile, crack each egg into it’s own small bowl and add a teaspoon of vinegar to each. Stir the boiling water vigorously with a balloon whisk until you have a whirlpool then immediately (and softly!) slip the egg into the pot. Turn the heat down low, and cook for 3 minutes. Gently lift eggs out of the pot and drain on paper towels.
2. Divide the spinach greens onto two plates, then add a poached egg to each. Season the salads with salt and pepper, then drizzle lightly with olive oil and lemon juice. Top with a generous helping of toasted pecans, if using. Serves 2, but can easily be doubled or tripled for more portions.
Mushroom & Asparagus Eggs Benedict
Served over toasted bread, this eggs Benedict is truly stunning.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large shallot, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- ½ teaspoon thyme, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 6 ounces wild mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size
- ¼ cup white wine, or broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 slices multigrain bread, lightly toasted
- 12 spears asparagus, blanched
- 4 eggs
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the butter and allow it to melt, then toss in the mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the wine or broth, deglaze the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cream and simmer until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes and reduce the heat to low.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Swirl the water in the pot. Crack an egg into a bowl and gently pour the egg from the bowl into the water. Repeat with another egg. Let the eggs cook until the whites are set but the yolks are not, about 2-3 minutes then fish them out. Repeat with remaining two eggs.
- To serve, place the toast on plates, top with the asparagus, poached eggs and creamy mushroom sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Garden Greens with Chopped Eggs
This fresh salad is a lovely use for beautiful summer greens.
Ingredients:
4 cups mixed summer greens, washed and patted dry
½ pound green beans, trimmed
½ pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
4 anchovy fillets, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sour cream
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
Edible flowers, for garnish
Method:
1. Prepare an ice-water bath. Working in batches, blanch green beans in a pot of generously salted boiling water until bright and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath and let cool; remove. Return water in the pot to a boil, and blanch snow peas, in batches, about 1 minute. Transfer to ice bath until cool; remove peas, and cut in half.
2. Whisk together the anchovies, lemon juice and sour cream in a bowl. Slowly add oil in a steady stream, whisking until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide the lettuce greens, green beans and peas among four plates, and top each with chopped eggs and herbs. Drizzle with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and serve garnished with edible flowers.
Buttered Radishes with Poached Eggs
Tender radishes and shallots are topped with a silky poached egg for the perfect finish.
Ingredients:
1 bunch radishes
1 tablespoon butter
2 shallots, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon assorted chopped herbs, such as parsley, chives and thyme
2 large slices of toasted bread
2 eggs
Sea salt
Method:
1. In a skillet, heat butter over medium low heat. Add in the shallots and let cook it begins to soften, 2-3 minutes. Slice radishes in half and add to butter. Season well with salt. Cover and let cook until radishes are tender, 5-6 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
2. While radishes cook, poach the eggs.
3. To serve, place toast on a plate, generously cover with radish mixture, then sprinkle with herbs and top with a poached egg each.
Vanilla Bean French Toast
Prep this fragrant French toast the night before, and then bake it in the oven right before brunch—easy, peasy!
Ingredients:
1 loaf cinnamon bread, cut into 1-inch slices
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups half-and-half
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
½ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh berries and confectioner’s sugar, for topping
Method:
1. Preheat an oven to 425°. Butter or grease the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Set aside, Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast until the bread is lightly golden brown and dry, about 7 minutes, flipping the slices about halfway through the cooking time. Transfer the bread slices to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, lemon zest and a pinch of salt. With the tip of a paring knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean halves into the egg mixture and whisk to combine; reserve the vanilla bean halves. In batches, dip the bread slices into the egg mixture, turning the slices to coat them evenly and letting the bread sit in the bowl for about 2 minutes to absorb the liquid. Arrange the bread slices in the prepared baking dish, overlapping them slightly. Pour any remaining egg mixture in the bowl evenly over the bread in the dish. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
3. To bake, preheat the oven to 350°. Transfer the dish, still covered with the foil, to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish, increase the oven temperature to 375° and continue baking until the French toast is puffed up and browned, about 15 minutes more. While the French toast is cooking, in a small saucepan over low heat, combine the maple syrup and the 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. To serve, pour the maple syrup mixture evenly over the French toast. Garnish with the reserved vanilla bean halves, if desired, and serve with berries and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar.
Poached Duck Eggs with Asparagus
This elegant presentation is sure to wow any dinner guest.
Ingredients:
3-4 duck eggs
½ pound asparagus, ends snapped and sliced into ¼-inch pieces
2 cups morel mushrooms, thoroughly washed and dried
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. To poach the eggs, half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add a hefty pinch of salt. Meanwhile, crack each egg into its own small bowl and add a teaspoon of vinegar to each. Stir the boiling water vigorously with a balloon whisk until you have a whirlpool then immediately (and softly!) slip the egg into the pot. Turn the heat down low, and cook for three minutes. Gently lift eggs out of the pot and drain on paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter or heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
3. To serve, add a serving of the asparagus to a plate, and then top with a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.