What’s in an egg? A 100-calorie dish, for one thing!

I love eggs. Whether they’re hard boiled in a salad, fried on a sandwich, or just scrambled with hot sauce, they’re always welcome on my plate.  I’m not even going to tell you how easy it is for my husband and I to go through a dozen and a half – we stopped buying them by the dozen a long time ago.  In all my great experiences with eggs, I’ve never poached an egg.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure how, once I realized how easy it is, I’m glad I learned.  To poach an egg is merely to cook it in a simmering liquid, be it water, stock, milk, soup, or sauce until the yolk is thick but still liquid.  You crack it in, let it cook to your liking (I like to leave the yolks runny) and either serve it in the sauce or fish it out of the water with a slotted spoon.  Easy!

This amazing dish I found on skinnytaste.com.  It’s only 102 calories per serving! That’s only 2 points for weight watchers! It kind of reminds me of eggs rancheros, with a spicy twist and no quesadillas.  I couldn’t easily find Harissa, so I used what I had on hand, which in this case was red pepper paste.

Eggs in Purgatory
A whole lot of flavor for 102 calories!

Eggs in Purgatory (from skinnytaste.com)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp minced red onion
  • 14.5 oz can petite tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp prepared Harissa (I used Mina) or more if you like it spicier
  • 4 large eggs
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp fresh chopped parsley or chives

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the oil then the onion and saute until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, harissa, salt and pepper and increase the heat to medium-high and simmer until the liquid reduces a bit, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, carefully add the eggs, salt and pepper and cover.Cook until the top of the eggs set, about 4 to 5 minutes, or to your liking. Top with chopped fresh parsley or chives and serve.

My second offer is another gem I found in The Joy of Cooking.  As many of you know, I’ve decided to dive into this tome in an endeavor to grow and be a better cook.  This taught me to poach an egg in water.  Also, it taught me to make Hollandaise sauce, something I’d always thought was too fancy to attempt, something I always heard about, but never actually tasted.  Learning that this dish was recommended with Hollandaise made me want to make it that much more.  It’s also recommended with Bernaise sauce, but that’s an attempt for another day.

Poached Eggs Blackstone
Sounds fancy, looks fancy, so easy!

Poached Eggs Blackstone (From The Joy of Cooking)

  • 4 eggs
  • 4 slices of bacon
  • 4 1/2″-thick tomato slices
  • Flour for dusting
  • Salt and pepper

Fry bacon in a large skillet until crisp.  Remove til paper towels, then crumble. Leave the drippings in the skillet, keeping it hot.

Dredge the tomatoes in the flour, salt and pepper, fry in remaining drippings.

In a large sauce pan, simmer water.  Crack an egg into a bowl, then gently pour into the pan and simmer until the whites have set.  Remove with a large slotted spoon, letting the water run off.

To plate, put down the fried tomato, then top with the egg, Hollandaise (see below), and cumbled bacon.

Hollandaise sauce (from The Joy of Cooking)

  • 10 Tbsp. butter
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. cold water
  • 1/2 to 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • dash of hot pepper sauce (optional)

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat, skimming the foam off the top and keep warm.

Place a stainless steel bowl or the top part of a double boiler, off the heat, whisk together the three large egg yolks and cold water, until light and frothy. Place the bowl over, but not in, the simmering water and continue to whisk until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to get too hot.

Remove from heat and whisk to let cool slightly.  Whisking constantly, very slowly add the butter, leaving white milk solids behind.  Then whisk in the lemon juice, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. If you’re not serving it immediately, cover and keep warm by placing the bowl in warm water.

Tip of the Week: When poaching an egg in water, a touch of vinegar helps to set the whites faster.

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