Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce, On Toast {make this now}

I’ve started to use this phrase {make this now} more often on the blog rather than just in conversation. We’ve all experienced this “omg, this is amazing….” type of revelation for particular dishes. When the sensations hit just right on the tongue or when that “wow” moment hits the palette, I can’t help it but to tell everyone to make this now. Thus, the method to my madness when I say {make this now} because when I’m blown away at at how simple and delicious and recipe can be, I can’t help it but scream it out loud. Previously, I said the same thing about this thai iced tea recipe and so many of you really did {made this now}. This makes me so proud.

Simple poached eggs by simmering in bubbly-hot tomato sauce, then smeared over a grilled piece of bread is life changing. I’ve been hitting myself in the head over since I made this because I can’t believe this dish snuck under my hungry-radar all these years.

Where have you been all my life, dear poached eggs in tomato sauce… on toast? You are so freaking good.

How much more perfect can this simple concept be? The rich tomato sauce, nurturing the egg-poached-heaven is a match made in food-perfection. Add the third factor, crispy grilled bread, and all of a sudden, this trilogy now becomes a great breakfast or brunch. Oh what the heck, make it for dinner. Add a salad on the side and you’ll be whimpering like I did and ask, “why haven’t I made this before?!”

The best part about this madness is that you can add so many other ingredients to it to hearty-it-up. I’ve seen versions with kale, chickpeas, and ground chicken. Do what ever you want to it because for now, it’s all yours to play with.

For me, the most important (and hardest) part is timing the egg so that it becomes the poached texture that you like. Walk away from the stove for to long too check email, and what you will have a is a firm, boiled-like, yolk center. Become too impatient and turn off the heat too soon and what you will have are egg whites that are too runny. So make it a few times to get a feel for how long it takes to make your poached eggs perfect.

Alas, I’m already hungry again as I write this post. I’ll have to make it again soon and maybe next time, I’ll just dive my toast (crusty end first) into the tomato sauce and kill the poached egg in one quick swoop. Yum. Yum. YUM.

enjoy!

diane

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 30 min

The important part is timing the egg so that it becomes the poached texture that you like. Walk away from the stove for too long to check email, and what you will have a is a firm, boiled-like, yolk center. Become too impatient and turn off the heat too soon and what you will have are egg whites that are too runny. So make it a few times to get a feel for how long it takes to make your poached eggs perfect.

You can add so many other ingredients to it to hearty-it-up. I've seen versions with kale, chickpeas, and ground chicken.

two - 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes or your favorite tomato sauce4 large eggs3 Tablespoons butter1 small onion, minced3 cloves garlic, minced1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce1/4 teaspoon cumin1/2 teaspoon sugar1/4 cup chopped parsleyadditional salt and pepper to tastegrilled bread or toastHeat large saucepan on medium heat. Melt butter, then cook onions and garlic till soft.Add crushed tomatoes with juices (or tomato sauce), Worcestershire, cumin and sugar. Stir till everything is combined well. Bring the sauce to a low boil, then reduce heat to low.Stir in the parsley and simmer the sauce on low heat for about 10 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.Crack the eggs into the tomato sauce, then cover the pan. Poach the eggs in the sauce for about 5-8 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolk is still runny.Spoon the egg and tomato sauce over toast. Or serve the egg and tomato sauce in a bowl and dip with the toast. Serve warm.

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Basil Poached Apricots a la Mode – A 6 year old romance

I’ve always had a romance with apricots since I was about six years old. If a young child ever knew the feeling of love and obsession, it was me and a hidden apricot tree in Reno, Nevada back in the 70's. Those memories of racing heart beats, sweaty palms and nervous butterflies-in-the-stomach feelings are still so clear to me after all these years.

Almost every weekend, my parents would head to their friends house for weekly dinner parties. I don’t remember much of the hosts nor their nourishing dinner gatherings. Mom and Dad would always reminisce about how much they loved these friends and their loving hospitality. But what I did remember, clearly, was a lonely apricot tree that grew at the back of their mobile home.

This mobile home park was rather bare bones. It was in the middle of the dry, desert shrub community of Reno, specifically Carson City, Nevada. If any of you have ever been to Carson City back in the 70's, you’ll remember that aside from the bustling casino’s of downtown Reno, Carson city inherited all the dry hills, tumble weed, dirt roads and mobile homes of the area. My family lived in one of those mobile homes and pretty much everyone we knew back then inhabited one of these “cardboard houses”.

What I loved most about these friends mobile home was the apricot tree that was dripping with fruit in late spring. My first encounter of the tree was when I chased a ball that my friend kicked behind the mobile home. The branches dotted with small orange fruit was so striking against the hot, dry evenings. The velvety skin was something I had never experienced before.

I remember being so taken by a tree with edible fruit that I completely forgot about the ball that I was to retrieve. My arms reached for the lower branches and the ripe apricots literally fell off the branches to the most delicate touch. The warm, soft, sweet fruit was such a surprise and I kept stuffing my mouth till I couldn’t eat anymore.

I brought in a handful of the fruit to my parents and asked what they were called. Even for them, it was the first time they’d ever seen such fruit. The hosts didn’t know what they were called in Vietnamese, but in English, they were called apricots.

Ah, apricots. That’s what they’re called. My obsession and romance with them began.

My visits to this mobile home was never the same for the following weeks. This tree was seriously my first childhood crush. I couldn’t wait to get to the house and visit the tree, hug it’s branches and reap the sweet gifts it saved for me.

Even till this day, I can spot an apricot tree from a long distance away. The grown form, branching shape, leaves in both leafing and dormant stages can’t pass my eyes. If it’s in fruit, you can bet I can spot it a mile away. And every time I spy a fruiting apricot tree, I always remember my first love of that lonely apricot tree and dream that one day, I’ll be able to grow one for myself.

Until then, I’ll continue to eat them as fresh as possible when the season arrives. But when I get an abundance of apricots, I enjoy poaching them with a touch of basil. The floral notes combined with the sweet apricots is heaven, especially on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This poached apricot recipe is decided to that one apricot tree that changed the life of a 6 year old.

hugs,

diane

Yield: 6 Servings

Total Time: 30 Minutes plus cooling time

Apricots will be best poached when nearly fully ripe. We use basil blossoms from the garden, but if you can't get any, feel free to use Italian basil leaves instead.

1 lb Apricots, halved & seeded1 1/2 c Water1 1/2 c Sugar1/4 c HoneyHandful Basil Blossom topsVanilla Ice CreamCombine water, sugar, honey, and basil blossoms in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to help sugar dissolve evenly.Add apricots, reduce heat to medium to medium-high, and poach for 2-4 minutes or until soft but still intact.Using a slotted spoon, gently remove apricots. Strain and place on a plate to cool. (Apricots are nice served slightly warm, at room temp., or chilled. We vary it depending on the weather. The warmer the day, the cooler we like them. If serving chilled, place plate in refrigerator until ready to serve.)While apricots cool, increase heat to high, and reduce down poaching liquid, caramelizing the liquid. Skim any scum that develops and occasionally brush sides of pan with a brush dipped in cold water. Reduce to about 1 cup, or until caramel is a nice golden color *See Note 1. (you may have to remove from heat occasionally to allow bubbles to relax so you are able to check caramel's color). Set aside to cool, or quicker service is needed, cool in an ice bath.If desired, cut apricots into quarters, or else just serve as halves. Serve with ice cream and caramel sauce drizzled over the top. Garish with basil blossoms.

Note 1.

If you cook the caramel down too much and it is too thick after cooling, add some hot water back into the caramel to create the thickness you prefer.

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Video- Eggs Poached & appreciating life details

** At the request of those who have seen it, we’re finally sharing this private poached egg video we produced back in December 2011. We’ve only shared it at our Cuba photo night event, KitchenAid Luncheon and Food Blog Forum Orlando. Hope you enjoy it!

It’s the little details in life that always fascinate us. We often just sit and witness the small life moments that happen both in and out of our kitchen. It’s those little things that are so inspiring to us to have endless hours of conversations. These thoughts and ideas drive us to become more creative and how to share the story filled with life detail up close.

Poaching eggs is a wonderful morning ritual we love sharing. Often times, the beautiful process of poaching eggs can often be overlooked. But for us, every step of this egg poaching process is full of inspiration. From the moment we patiently wait for the water to boil, to the mesmerizing swirl of the water bath, to the final pierce of the egg, all this is a gorgeous event happening before our eyes.

So, back in December we wanted to share the story of poaching an egg. We weren’t wanting to make a “how to” video per say, because there are so many great instructional videos out there.

Instead, we wanted to share an egg poaching story and the journey of an inspiring morning ritual.

For some, poaching an egg is a process to get a meal on the table. But for us, egg poaching is one of those life moments that we love. One of those regular rituals which fill in the details of our daily lives.  And we love every single little step along the way.

Hope you all take a moment to appreciate one of those life details in the kitchen.

And hope you enjoy our eggs poached story.

Have a great day to you all,

diane and todd

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