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Meals

Poached Eggs in Cream Sauce

Chef Lee Cooper from L’Abattoir creates a dish inspired by his visit with BC dairy farmer, Mickey Aylard.

Prep Time

10 Mins

Cook Time

40 - 50 Mins

Total Time

1 Hour

Equipment

Stove

Saucepan

Sieve

Whisk or fork

Pot

Sautè pan

Bowl

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs

  • salt and pepper for seasoning

  • splash of vinegar for poaching water

  • 100 ml white wine

  • 200 g milk

  • 200 g whipping cream

  • 1 handful of hay (optional)

  • 40 g fresh thyme (on the branch)

  • 90 g cold cubed unsalted butter

  • 1 generous handful of finely sliced fine herbs (tarragon, parsley, chives, chervil)

  • 20 g fresh squeezed lemon juice (half of a juicy lemon)

  • Salt to taste

  • 60 g unsalted butter

  • 250 g cleaned morel mushrooms (or substitute any mushroom you like)

  • 50 g minced onion

  • 25 g minced garlic

  • 10 g fresh thyme leaves

  • 80 ml white wine

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • 2 medium sized ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped (skinning and seeding is optional)

  • 100 g blanched and peeled fava beans (substitute shelled peas if you prefer)

  • fava bean shoots

  • pea shoots

  • lemon thyme leaves

Directions

  1. Add wine to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by half. Add milk and cream to the wine and cook over medium heat until just below boiling (don’t boil). Add hay and thyme, then remove saucepan from the heat. Allow to infuse for 30 mins and strain through a sieve. Discard hay and thyme and transfer mixture to a clean sauce pan. Heat mixture until just below a boil and remove from heat. Whisk butter into the sauce mixture until fully dissolved. Add lemon and season to taste with salt. Cover and keep warm until ready to use.
  2. Heat a pot of water and add vinegar. This will be used to poach the eggs.
  3. Heat butter in a sauté pan until hot and foamy. Add mushrooms and cook over medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes. Add onions, garlic, and thyme. Cook 2 – 3 minutes over medium heat, or until tender. Add wine and cook until dry. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Remove the mushrooms from heat and keep warm until ready to use.
  4. Crack the eggs one at a time into a bowl and slide into simmering poaching water. Poach until desired doneness and remove from water with a slotted spoon and drain on a towel. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm while you finish the final step.
  5. Take the chicken out of the pot and keep warm to rest. Rest it for 10 minutes while you make the sauce. To finish the sauce, strain the cooking liquid into another pot and press through all the garlic and juices. Bring to a simmer and reduce until slightly thickened. Now carve the chicken into four portions and place onto warm plates, pour sauce liberally on and around the chicken. Serve.
  6. Spoon a generous amount of the sauce and vegetables into a warm bowl. Top with a poached egg and some of the mushrooms. Garnish with herbs and shoots, if desired. Serve.