Salad

Here is a fun new recipe inspired by my trip to Paris for Parmesan Balsamic Poached Eggs with a Parisian Side Salad…

I am one of those people who, how shall we say this… loves a good challenge. One of my church leaders when I was about 14 told me once, "learn how to make one thing in the kitchen REALLY WELL, and the rest won't matter so much." At that point in my life I decided that I was going to learn how to make the perfect pie crust and consequently all kinds of perfect pies. Even at a young age I actually got pretty good and baking pies. My crusts were always golden and flaky with a special little sugary topping on them. Then I married a man who could really care less about pies or sweets in general… FOR REAL!!!  Not wanting to have to ingest all of the sugary calories in the house, I turned my sights to learning how to make the perfect poached egg.  Why, I don't know… I like eggs, and this cooking method presented a bit of a challenge for me. 

I studied and practiced {cue scenes from Julie & Julia} My family became my guinea pigs and they started running to the closest Taco Bell. It took a little bit, but I finally {I would say,} have mastered the perfect poached egg! {My family doesn't run away from me anymore at least.}

A few Saturdays ago I was putzing around in the kitchen, looking for something to eat for breakfast and I started pulling things from the fridge and came up with this divine concoction for my parmesan balsamic poached eggs on toast… But before I give the recipe, let's have a little poached egg 101.

Poached Egg 101

There are several tricks to poaching eggs that are not widely known:

• First of all, the fresher the eggs the better. Now, if you can’t find fresh eggs don’t worry. What you need to do is warm them up before placing them in the water. What I typically do is place them in a bowl with hot tap water for a few minutes before I cook them. This brings the eggs up to room temperature quickly and allows for the whites to stay together once in the poaching water.
• Next, the poaching water needs to have some type of acid added. I use white wine vinegar, but you can also use lemon juice as well. This again helps the egg stay together once added to the water.

• Most importantly: the water… In a sauce pot, add about three inches of water and about 2 tsp. vinegar. The water needs to come up to about 190 degrees. This is just below a boil. Once you reach that temperature turn the burner down to low. Take a spoon and stir the water so that the water is gently swirling when you add the eggs.
• Crack the eggs into a small bowl or measuring cup and then gently add them one at a time to the water.

• When you see the egg in the water at first, don't freak out, you'll be amazed at how it will come together by the end of the cooking time.
• At this point start timing the eggs. If you like your yokes runny, try about three minutes. For a medium egg, three and a half minutes and a firm yoke four minutes.
• With a slotted spoon take the eggs out and place them on a paper towel to take care of the excess water.
• It's easy to make a large batch of eggs a few at a time, place them on a paper towel and when you are ready to serve them, place the eggs in the hot water to re-heat for 30-60 seconds.

Recipe | Parmesan Balsamic Poached Eggs on Toast

4 large poached eggs

2 slices of toasted French bread

shaved parmesan cheese

a drizzle of balsamic cream –  This is a condiment that I discovered while traveling in Europe and FELL IN LOVE with it.  I brought several bottles home with me but, most major super markets are now carrying balsamic cream in the vinegar section. You can also order it online if you can't find it locally.

Place two poached eggs on top of one of the slices of toasted French bread. Season with salt and pepper and then drizzle with the balsamic cream and then sprinkle the shaved parmesan on top. This recipe serves two,

On it's own this is a great light meal, paired with my Parisian salad and it's divine!

Recipe | Parisian Side Salad

A few years ago my family and I traveled to Paris for Christmas and the first night after arriving in the city, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower to see the sites.  Walking around we found this cute little bistro right down the street from the Eiffel Tower were we had our first meal in Paris. {ahhhh sweet memories!} I had this amazing salad with my dinner that was so simple, yet so good.  They put chilled, boiled potato in the salad and it was tasty.  Here is my version of that salad.

3 cups of green leaf or red leaf lettuce

1 cup of grape tomatoes sliced in half

1 cup of boiled and chilled fingerling, small red, or small white potatoes

1 scallion thinly sliced

shaved parmesan cheese

In a large bowl combine the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes and scallion.  Drizzle with the vinigarette and toss.  Once tossed, sprinkle with shaved parmesan. Serve on the side of the parmesan balsamic poached eggs on toast.

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup of white wine or champagne vinegar

3/4 cup of olive oil

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of agave or honey

salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, oil, garlic, mustard, agave, salt & pepper. Drizzle over the salad. This recipe serves two.

Now, you can have a quick little trip to Paris on a lazy Sunday morning without needing your passport!