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Eggs with hollandaise

Two techniques in one plate: a poached egg that holds its shape and a sauce that holds its emulsion. Both come down to temperature.

Time
Servings2
DifficultyMedium
EquipmentWide saucepan, slotted spoon, heatproof bowl

Contains raw egg — not for pregnancy, young children or anyone immunocompromised.

  • 4 pc — egg
  • 20 ml — white wine vinegar
  • 1500 ml — water
  • 3 pc — egg yolk
  • 180 g — clarified butter
  • 5 ml — lemon juice
  • 4 g — salt
  1. Crack each egg into a small sieve first and let the watery outer white drain away. That loose white is what makes the ragged threads in the pan — thirty seconds of draining removes the problem entirely.
  2. Bring the water and vinegar to 85 °C — steaming, with bubbles on the bottom but none rising. Slide the eggs in and poach three minutes without stirring or making a whirlpool.
  3. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper and trim the ragged edge with scissors if you want them neat.
  4. Make the Hollandaise while the water comes to temperature, not after. Both are finished things that will not wait, and the sauce waits worse than the egg.
  • One serving (1 of 2): white wine vinegar 10 ml, water 750 ml, clarified butter 90 g, lemon juice 2.5 ml, salt 2 g
  • Double batch (4 servings): egg 8 pc, white wine vinegar 40 ml, water 3,000 ml, egg yolk 6 pc, clarified butter 360 g, lemon juice 10 ml, salt 8 g

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Source · Mirepoix · Auguste Escoffier, Le Guide Culinaire (1907), no. 726

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