December 2010 Daring Cooks' Challenge: Poached Eggs

I completed the Daring Cooks' challenge on time, but my heart wasn't in creating a post. Clearly. Since  deciding to draw my time in NYC to a close by January 1 and finding myself in control of seemingly nothing, I have been racing around trying to see people, taste things and get myself together for the transition. But I am alive and once I'm settled back in Virginia I suspect I'll get back to eating in my usual manner, exercising and dabbling with this again. In the meantime, happy holidays!

Jenn and Jill have challenged The Daring Cooks to learn to perfect the technique of poaching an egg. They chose Eggs Benedict recipe from Alton Brown, Oeufs en Meurette from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, and Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages (poached) courtesy of Trudy of Veggie num num. A PDF with all their info and the recipes can be found here.

I opted to focus on the required egg poaching and assemble a simple, healthy meal of roasted Kabocha squash, almost caramelized leeks and a poached egg. It was a nice, savory mix with the yolk to sauce things up. My egg poaching certainly has improved since the debacle where the whole thing turned into foam but it still needs refining. My first eggs spun out of control as I had brought this too far past room temperature but the later one (pictured) was a pretty solid (and tasty) attempt.