Lately I have been obsessed with eggs and anything that goes with them. I have literally gone thru almost 5 dozen eggs in the past 3 weeks with quiches, salads, baking. I am not sure if it has to do with a rite of spring, but it seems that eggs are all I am interested in right now.

The thing about cooking eggs is that everyone THINKS it is supposed to be fast and done! Alas, they are wrong. Eggs are supposed to be cooked low and slow – like good BBQ Brisket. And I guess that in comparison to some other things eggs are really a “fast food”. If you cook scrambled eggs too fast they brown and get tough, fried eggs cooked on high become rubbery and hard boiled eggs get that icky green rim around the edge of the yolk. But poached eggs are my main obsession right now.

For years I have been trying to make the perfect poached egg. It seems so simple. How hard could it be? You crack an egg into hot water and wait, right? WRONG! I watched “how to” videos online, listened to Bobby Flay on his brunch show, took Garde Manger class and still I was over cooking the yolk. I wanted a lovely, runny yolk with a tender white. I finally threw out everything I had learned and started with the basics and NOW I can proudly say that I can make the perfect poached egg!

I know a poached egg doesn’t sound that exciting, but what you DO with that egg makes all the difference. Chef Brian Howard at Comme Ca does a beautiful salad of bitter greens and other tasty comestibles topped with a poached egg that becomes incorporated into the dressing, once the yolk is pierced and the salad is tossed. Eggs Benedict? Hello? My favorite thing is Linguini Carbonara – yes, I’ll give you the recipe at the end. I am so enamored of this that I have eaten it 4 times in the past 3 weeks, and I am probably going to eat it again today to take video for this blog…I know. Gluttony is one of the 7 deadly sins. I know there are several versions of Carbonara and I am not saying mine is authentic, it’s just the one I like (you’ll notice there are no peas in mine). To make matters even more decadent I have been using my own house cured and smoked bacon. Yes, I really cure and smoke my own bacon.

Here are a couple of tips about eggs:
• When poaching, or for just about any use, get the freshest possible – check the dates in the grocer’s case. When poaching and frying they will spread out a whole lot less and the yolks will sit up and be beautiful.
• When hard boiling, the older the egg, the easier it is to peel because an air pocket develops between the white (albumen), the inner membrane and the shell. If you think about it, buy the eggs at least a few days in advance or take your eggs out of the fridge the day before and let them sit on the counter over night. Put eggs in COLD water, bring to a slow boil, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 13-15 minutes depending on how many eggs are in the pan and if the eggs were room temp or cold to start with. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water or shock them with ice water.

There are no pics this week – just a short video. I ate the Carbonara before I remembered to take the pics….story of my life. In such hurry to eat that I forget about art!

So here is a primer on how to make the perfect poached egg:

You’ll need a slotted spoon, a skillet or deep sauté pan, FRESH eggs and a little white vinegar.

Poaching Eggs – a video how to – Click HERE to see the video – the clicking you hear in the back is my dog (sorry – forgot to put them out) and Thanks to Friend Lynn who ran the camera in exchange for eating the Carbonara.

To make my Carbonara:

Heat heavily salted water (it should taste like the ocean) to a boil and prepare to cook pasta according to pkg directions (use about ½ lb). Cook the pasta, drain and set aside.

You should begin poaching your eggs when you drop the pasta into the water.

Cut 3 slices of bacon crosswise into lardons and cook in a large sauté pan until almost crisp. Add about ½ – ¾ cup of heavy cream and a generous handful (about ½ cup) of grated parmesan cheese (don’t use the stuff in the green can – grate it yourself). Add cooked pasta and stir until coated. At this point you can add a little additional cream if you think it is a too dry (how saucy do you want it?).

Portion the pasta into 2 bowls and make a small well in the center of the pasta. Carefully place the poached egg in the well.

To enjoy, break the yolk and stir the egg into the pasta and you will see the sauce thicken and taken on a more luscious texture. Top with extra cheese and crushed red pepper if desired!

My Food Memories for the week are checking out a new burger place with Friend Lynn (not worth mentioning), Sushi lunch with the Main Squeeze, catering a lunch for some business associates and playing with my new made to order rolling pins.

Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories.