Chef Nancy Oakes was initially underwhelmed when developing this dish. "The eggs were just poached and a little squishy," she says. "Frying them in breadcrumbs made things more interesting." For maximum crispiness, chill the poached eggs before giving them a pre-fry roll in the egg whites and panko.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
Step 1
Line a rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Pour water into a large skillet to a depth of 2". Bring water to a boil; lower heat to maintain a simmer. Add vinegar. Break 1 egg into a small ramekin or bowl. Partially immerse cup in water and quickly slide egg into water. Repeat with remaining 3 eggs. Cook until whites are firm but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to prepared sheet. Trim eggs' ragged edges with a knife. Slide eggs into a medium bowl filled with ice water. Cover bowl; chill until cold.DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
Step 2
Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add ham; sauté for 1 minute. Add peppers, Sherry, and marjoram; simmer until almost all liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Step 3
Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a kitchen towel to drain. Mix panko, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Place egg whites in another medium bowl; whisk to loosen. Gently roll 1 poached egg in egg whites, then in panko mixture (some bare spots may remain). Place on plate. Repeat with remaining eggs, egg whites, and panko.
Step 4
Heat 3/4 cup olive oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium heat. Gently slide eggs, one at a time, into oil; cook until crumbs begin to brown, about 2 minutes per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer eggs to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Step 5
Divide pepper mixture among 4 plates. Top each with 1 egg and serve.
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Reviews (3)
Back to TopThis really was one of he more challenging recipes to pull off that I've ever executed from Epicurious, but the result was well worth it and it showed very well for brunch company. I went with Cooks Illustrated's method of poaching, which calls for bringing the water to a boil in a skillet filled nearly to the rim with water and the vinegar added before boiling. They also recommend adding the eggs to the water and then removing the skillet from the heat for 3-4 minutes depending on desired yolk firmness. I went with 3 1/2 minutes, anticipating that the yolks would cook a bit more during the frying process. And I poached at night and finished the next morning. Again anticipating.. I poached 6 eggs when I only needed 4, allowing for error. And error there was. 2 of the eggs oozed yolk during transfers to the egg white and Panko mixture and were discarded. Not sure that letting them "drain" on a kitchen towel was necessary - the added step increased opportunities to err as it wasn't an easy surface to extricate these delicate pillows from and any movement can disrupt the yolks. So.. I'll definitely make this again, but my lessons learned are: (1) Poach the eggs for 4 minutes in water brought to a boil and removed from heat, and (2) skip the kitchen towel draining step - go right to the egg white/Panko mix. Last bit of advice that I did implement with success: If using a good ham (e.g. Prosciutto or Speck) there's no need to add salt post fry.
isliss
3/11/2012
Definitely a culinary challange to fry poached eggs, but I was very successful with 3 of the 4 eggs and managed to salvage most of the 4th! Agree that the pepper/prosciutto mixture was great. Won't be making it every week but certainly happy I attempted it at least once.
Einer2
Hilliard,Ohio
2/21/2012
I made this easier by just frying up the eggs instead of poaching. That way, with no fear of breakage, it was a lot easier to dip them and re-fry them. I suggest making a lot more of the red pepper/bacon/sherry mix as it was a huge hit and there just wasn't enough!
TisReese
Denver
1/12/2012
