Blown Eggs Recipes

PERFECT POACHED EGGS

Steps:

• Heat the water: Add enough water to come 1 inch up the side of a narrow, deep 2-quart saucier. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 teaspoons white vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, crack 1 very fresh cold large egg into a custard cup or small ramekin. Use the handle of a spatula or spoon to quickly stir the water in one direction until it's all smoothly spinning around.
• TIP: Use this whirlpool method when poaching a single serving (one or two eggs). For bigger batches, heat the water, salt and vinegar in a 12-inch nonstick skillet and do not stir.
• Add the egg: Carefully drop the egg into the center of the whirlpool. The swirling water will help prevent the white from "feathering," or spreading out in the pan.
• Let it poach: Turn off the heat, cover the pan and set your timer for 5 minutes. Don't peek, poke, stir or accost the egg in any way.
• Lift it out: Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and serve immediately. Alternatively, move the egg to an ice bath and refrigerate up to 8 hours. Reheat in warm water just before serving.

CHOCOLATE-FILLED DELIGHTS

Steps:

• 1. Spatter each egg: If you wish, cover your worktable with newspaper. Slide the eggs onto skewer on a Styrofoam drying rack (see tip, below). Dip the paintbrush in the food coloring, hold it in one hand above the egg and run your thumb along the bristles or tap the handle to create a spray of paint. Revolve each egg to splatter the entire surface. Allow the eggs to dry for several hours.
• 2. Seal the hole in the wider end of each blown egg with a small piece of masking tape. Using the pliers, gently chip away the shell around the other hole, enlarging it to the size of a pea. Place the eggs in an egg carton, open-end up.
• 3. One at a time, fill the eggs with chocolate: Place 1 cup of the baking chips in a food storage bag and twist the bag like a pastry bag to secure the chips in one bottom corner. Microwave on medium for 1 minute, until soft. Snip the corner from the bag and pipe the chocolate into the egg, tapping the egg periodically to compress any air bubbles and filling it completely, to the top of the hole.
• 4. Refrigerate the eggs overnight so the chocolate is firm. Remove the masking tape. Store in the refrigerator if not eating soon.
• 5. Tap the eggs on the table to crack the shells, and peel. Yum.

PERFECT SCRAMBLED EGGS

Steps:

• Whisk the eggs: Whisk 3 large eggs, 1 pinch of kosher salt, 1 grind of black pepper and 3 tablespoons whole milk together until light and foamy.
• TIP: Odds are you're going to be serving these on a plate. If so, I strongly suggest you park an ovensafe one in a low oven or in hot water while you're cooking. Cold plates suck the heat right out of food.
• Add to the pan: Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter to a 10-to-12-inch nonstick skillet and put it over high heat. When the butter bubbles (after about a minute), pour the eggs straight into the middle of the pan, which will force the butter to the edges, where it's needed.
• Scramble the eggs: Stir slowly with a rubber or silicone spatula. As soon as curds (big soft lumps) of eggs begin to form, drop the heat to low and shift from stirring to folding the curds over on themselves while gently shaking the pan with the other hand.
• Let rest: As soon as no more liquidous egg is running around the pan, kill the heat and gently transfer the scramble to the warmed plate. Let the eggs rest for 1 minute to finish cooking before serving.

PERFECT BOILED EGGS

Steps:

• Find a lidded saucepan large enough to allow your eggs to comfortably fit on the bottom in a single layer. Add 1 inch of water, cover, and bring to a boil.
• Gently lower eggs into the saucepan using a slotted spoon or a steamer basket. (It's O.K. if the eggs are partly submerged on the bottom of the pot, or elevated on a steamer rack and not submerged at all.) Cover pan and cook eggs, adjusting the burner to maintain a vigorous boil, 6 minutes for a warm liquid yolk and firm whites, 8 1/2 minutes for a translucent, fudgy yolk, or 11 minutes for a yolk that is just barely firm all the way through.
• Drain eggs, then peel and eat immediately, or transfer them to a plate and allow them to cool naturally before storing in the refrigerator for up to a week directly in their shell. (A small dot made with a permanent marker on the top of each cooked egg will ensure you don't mix them up with the raw eggs.) Do not shock them in an ice bath after cooking; this makes them more difficult to peel.