CookEat Recipe
Poached Eggs with Butter and Cheese
Eggs slipped gently into boiling water, cooked until set and dressed with butter, cheese, salt and pepper.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 4 eggs; Water deep enough to poach the eggs; 20 g butter; 20 g grated Parmesan or another suitable hard cheese; Salt and black pepper to taste.
Step 2
Bring a wide pan of water to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Crack each egg into a small cup and slip it into the water from close to the surface. Do not drop it from a height.
Step 3
Cook until the whites and yolks are firm, about 5–7 minutes depending on egg size and water temperature. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain well.
Step 4
Arrange on warm plates and dress immediately with the butter, grated cheese, salt and pepper. Serve promptly.
Step 5
For a tomato-sauce variation, gently simmer 150 ml ready-to-use smooth tomato sauce until hot and spoon it over the cooked eggs. It replaces the main butter-and-cheese dressing.
Step 6
For the green-sauce variation from recipe119, finely chop 20 g drained capers, 1 cleaned whole salt-cured anchovy, 1 tablespoon onion and one-quarter of a small garlic clove. Crush with the flat of a table knife, then mix in 25 g finely chopped parsley, 4 chopped basil leaves, 60 ml olive oil and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Keep chilled at 4°C or colder until promptly spooning over the eggs in place of the main dressing.
Step 7
For the peppery sauce from recipe127, chop 2 tablespoons drained capers, 2 cleaned whole salt-cured anchovies and 1 tablespoon parsley very finely. Mix with 60 ml olive oil and about half a teaspoon black pepper, adjusted to taste; add a few drops of vinegar or lemon only if needed. Use instead of the main dressing, keeping the fresh sauce refrigerated until service.
Step 8
For the anchovy-butter sauce, gently warm 1 cleaned, boned whole salt-cured anchovy in 20 g butter until it breaks down, without boiling hard. Add 15 g squeezed, partly chopped vinegar-pickled capers and spoon over the drained eggs instead of the main dressing.
Step 9
To serve on mashed potatoes, boil 350 g floury potatoes until tender, peel and press through a sieve while hot. Work over gentle heat with 35 g butter, about 70 ml milk and salt until smooth. Spread a layer about 1 cm deep on the serving dish and place the eggs on it. Alternatively, boil 300 g spinach until tender, drain and squeeze, then warm in 20 g butter and use as the bed. Prepare either bed before poaching the eggs.
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