For some reason, poaching eggs scares some people. Probably because when they’ve tried to do it, they ended up with loose and wispy eggs instead of nice, tight bundles. There are a couple tricks to doing it right. First, adding vinegar to the water helps the eggs to set more quickly. And second, swirling the water and lowering each egg into the middle of the vortex helps keep them together until they set up.
Ingredients
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 large tomato, cut into 8 slices
- 8 large eggs
Directions
Preheat the broiler to medium-high.
- To poach the eggs, put a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 6 cups water,1 tablespoon salt, and the vinegar. Bring to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan, parsley, and garlic. Season the sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper and put them in a large ovenproof skillet. Top the tomato slices with the Parmesan mixture and put the pan under the broiler until the cheese begins to brown, about 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, crack each egg into its own little bowl. Reduce the heat under the poaching liquid to medium-low. With a spoon, create a large (but gentle) whirlpool in the water by stirring in one direction around the perimeter of the pan. Then gently lower each egg into the center of the pan. Poach untouched until the eggs are set enough to be lifted out of the water without breaking but the yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.
- Put 2 slices of tomato onto each plate. Top each tomato with 1 egg. Season each egg with salt and pepper and serve.
