Crispy soft-poached egg served with broad bean salad and smoked bacon

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Xavier Boyer's crispy egg recipe is a feast of texture and flavour, with a coating of feuille de brick pastry giving way to a sumptuous poached egg. The joy of this dish comes from cutting open the eggs to allow the yolks to ooze over a vibrant broad bean and bacon salad, dotted with seasonal morels.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Poached eggs

To coat the eggs

Vinaigrette

  • 100ml of extra virgin olive oil
  • 10ml of sherry vinegar
  • 1 lime, juice and zest
  • salt
  • pepper

Morels

Broad bean salad

Equipment

  • Deep-fryer

Method

1
To prepare the eggs, bring the water, salt and vinegar to a boil in a deep-sided saucepan
  • 1.5l water
  • 15g of rock salt
  • 100ml of white wine vinegar
2
Crack the eggs one-by-one into small glasses, making sure they are very cold as this will help them to retain their shape when poaching
3
Lower the water to a simmer and stir to create a whirlpool. Drop the eggs one-by-one in the middle of the water and cook for 3 minutes. Carefully drain and refresh the eggs in iced water
4
To prepare the coating for the eggs, cut the pastry into a very fine julienne and keep covered with a slightly damp cloth
  • feuille de brick pastry, one packet
5
Whisk the egg with a pinch of salt and pepper
6
Drain the eggs and carefully coat each one in the flour, then the egg, and finally the feuille de brick pastry. Heat a deep-fryer to 160°C
  • flour
7
To make the vinaigrette, whisk together all of the ingredients until combined. Set aside until needed
  • 100ml of extra virgin olive oil
  • 10ml of sherry vinegar
  • 1 lime, juice and zest
  • pepper
  • salt
8
Wash the morels very thoroughly in lukewarm water, rinsing out the bowl and washing in fresh water repeatedly until the water runs clear. Dry well on kitchen paper
9
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the morels in the oil for 1-2 minutes until liquid starts to seep from them. Crack the garlic clove and add to the pan, season the morels with salt and pepper then add the butter. Fry for a further 2-3 minutes until the morels are cooked, then deglaze the pan with the Madeira and remove from the heat
10
Dress the broad beans, radishes and frisée with the dressing and finish with the shallots, bacon and parsley. Arrange on serving plates and add the morels
11
Deep-fry the coated eggs for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and cripsy and serve on top of the salad
First published in 2015

Xavier Boyer worked closely with Joël Robuchon to make the L’Atelier restaurants a success. His style showcases fresh, seasonal, clean flavours, beautiful textures and his playful creativity.

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