Poached Eggs Grand Duc

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •15-inch (38 cm) broiler-safe oval platter, or two 10-inch (25 cm) shallow gratin dishes
• •12-inch (30 cm) wide skillet for poaching
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Fine whisk
• •Slotted spoon
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Clean kitchen towels

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the asparagus

   Cut eight of the asparagus tips to 4 inches (10 cm) long for the fagot, then cut the remaining sixteen tips to 2½ inches (6.5 cm). Save the lower stalks for soup or an omelette. Bring well-salted water to a boil and add the eight long tips; after 45 seconds, add the shorter tips and cook for another 1 to 1½ minutes, until vivid green and just tender under a knife. Dip the chives into the water for the final 5 seconds. Transfer everything immediately to iced water, then drain and dry thoroughly. Tie the eight long tips into a neat bundle with the softened chives. The cold bath fixes the colour, but leaving the asparagus wet would thin the butter and Mornay later.

   The tips should bend slightly without drooping. Grand-Duc asks for very green asparagus, so stop while it still has a clean bite.
2. 2

   Build the Mornay

   Melt 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 56 g) of the butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook the roux for 90 seconds, keeping it pale and smelling faintly of warm biscuit. Reserve ¼ cup (60 ml / 62 g) of the milk, then whisk the remainder into the roux a little at a time. Bring it to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, whisking, until the sauce nappes, meaning it coats the back of a spoon and holds a clean line drawn through it. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream, Gruyère, all but 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan, nutmeg, white pepper, and enough salt to make the sauce taste complete. Do not boil once the cheese is in. If the Mornay turns grainy or oily, take it off the heat and whisk in the reserved cold milk one spoonful at a time. Ça se rattrape. Cover directly on the surface and keep warm.

   The finished Mornay should fall from the spoon in a broad ribbon. Too loose and it runs off the eggs; too tight and it sits like plaster. Use the reserved milk to make the final adjustment.
3. 3

   Poach the eggs

   Fill a wide skillet with 2½ inches (6.5 cm) of water, add the vinegar, and bring it to a bare tremble. Crack each egg into a small cup. Working in two batches of four, slide the eggs into the water with space between them and poach for 2½ to 3 minutes, gently folding any wandering white around its yolk with a spoon. The whites should hold while the yolks remain completely fluid. Lift each egg with a slotted spoon into iced water to stop the cooking, then trim only the loose fringes. This deliberate pause replaces the extra pair of brigade hands and lets one cook assemble eight eggs evenly.

4. 4

   Ready the croûtes

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Set the fried bread croûtes from Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393) on a tray and warm them for 4 to 5 minutes, until crisp through their centres. Remove them, then switch the oven to its highest broiler setting and place the rack 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm) below the heat. Brush a broiler-safe oval platter with ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml / 7 g) of the remaining butter. The broiler must be fully fierce before assembly begins; waiting beneath weak heat cooks the yolks before the sauce colours.

5. 5

   Reheat and assemble

   Bring a fresh skillet of water to just below a simmer. Lower in the chilled eggs for 30 to 45 seconds, only long enough to heat them through, then drain them very well on a clean towel. If the first eggs cooled while you worked, give them another 15 seconds in the hot water rather than broiling them longer. Melt the final ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml / 7 g) of butter in a small pan and turn the asparagus tips and tied fagot through it over low heat. Arrange the eight warm croûtes in a ring on the platter, set one egg on each, and lay a truffle slice over every egg. Coat each generously with warm Mornay, allowing the sauce to cover the egg and meet the croûte, then sprinkle over the reserved Parmesan.

6. 6

   Glaze and serve

   Slide the platter beneath the broiler and watch without leaving it. Glaze for 45 to 75 seconds, rotating the platter if one side colours first, until the Mornay bubbles at the edges and takes small tawny-gold marks. Do not leave it beyond 90 seconds merely to chase darker colour; a pale glaze can still be delicious, while a hard yolk cannot be made soft again. Withdraw the platter, spoon the loose buttered asparagus tips into the centre, and set the tied fagot over them. Serve immediately, two eggs per person. À table!

   The sauce, eggs, croûtes, platter, and asparagus must all be warm before glazing. Fierce heat then colours the surface quickly without stealing the flowing yolks.

Chef Tips

• •Use a small fresh black truffle when it is honestly available, or a good whole preserved truffle cut into thin slices. Drain preserved truffle well and pat it dry. Truffle oil cannot stand in for the slice here; the texture and dark aromatic layer beneath the Mornay are part of the Grand-Duc garnish.
• •Fresh asparagus makes the tied fagot possible. Outside its good season, high-quality frozen asparagus tips can fill the centre after gentle warming, but they will not make a handsome bundle. If the presentation matters, save the full Grand-Duc for firm fresh spears.
• •Fresh eggs poach most neatly because their thick whites cling close to the yolk. If your eggs spread, strain each raw egg for a few seconds in a fine-mesh sieve before lowering it into its cup.
• •Serve with brut Champagne or a taut, dry Loire white. The dish already has cream, cheese, butter, and truffle, so the glass should bring freshness rather than more weight.

Advance Preparation

• •The Mornay can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Cover its surface directly and refrigerate, then reheat over very gentle heat with some of the reserved milk until it falls in a broad ribbon.
• •Blanch the asparagus up to 6 hours ahead, dry it thoroughly, and refrigerate it covered. Tie the fagot after blanching, then warm everything briefly in butter before assembly.
• •Poach the eggs up to 2 hours ahead. Chill them promptly in iced water, transfer them to fresh cold water, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat for 30 to 45 seconds in water held just below a simmer.
• •The prepared croûtes from Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393) may be held airtight for a day, then recrisped for 5 minutes before the platter is assembled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)