March 17, 2014

The Arzak Egg


What I have for you today is something I had wanted to try for some time. I'm not sure what finally got me off my ass to make this, but I'm happy I did. So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to The Arzak Egg.

If you are wondering what the hell an Arzak egg is, don't worry, it's not some freakish egg pooped out by some endangered animal. It's really just a poached egg. The reason I'm using a different name for it is because the technique was made famous by Spanish chef Juan Mari Arzak.

So, what is this technique? If you want to get technical, it's like the sous vide process. In simpler terms, you are cooking the egg in hot water while the egg is wrapped in plastic wrap. Let me show you what I'm talking about.

The first thing you do is layout some plastic wrap. From here, you can rub a little butter in the center, approximately where the egg is going to be. You can add salt, pepper, and any other herb you want the egg to cook with.

From here, line a small bowl with the plastic wrap, making sure to get that buttery area at the bottom. Drop in the egg and proceed to close up the plastic wrap around the egg. You want to get as much of the air out of the pouch as you can. You can tie off the pouch with either cooking twine or another piece of plastic wrap. I just made a string out of plastic wrap and tied it off.

Now that my pouches are set, it was time to get started on the rest of the plate. As much as I like eggs, I needed a little something else to go with it. And what goes hand in hand with eggs? BACON, OF COURSE!!

Honestly, with the plate up I had in mind, I only needed 1 slice of bacon. But who in the fuck only cooks one slice of bacon? Not this guy!!! Don't worry, the other two slices found a happy home...in my belly!

While the bacon was cooking, I chopped up some Thai basil, chives, and a little roma tomato.

At this point, the only things I had left to do was to poach the eggs and make the toast. The toast would only take a minute or two, so I got going on the eggs.

While a traditional poached egg takes about 3-5 minutes, the Arzak egg takes about 5-7 minutes. When the water got to a warm simmer, I dropped the pouches into the water. They both sank like rocks to the bottom. I didn't want to play with them, so I just let them sit for about 3 or 4 minutes before I moved them a little.

While the eggs were going, I went ahead and made the toast. I cut the crust off of a slice of bread and toasted it in a pan with butter and dried sage.



At about 5 minutes, I went to pull the eggs from the water. I used tongs to grab the loose plastic from the top of the pouch. I lifted one out of the water to give it a squeeze and test how firm it is. It still felt a bit soft, so back in the water it went. When I tried the second egg, it fell right out of the plastic! My initial reaction was simply yelling "FUCK!" at a fairly loud volume. Then, I realized that the egg was holding it's shape and no yolk had spilled into the water. So, I just proceeded as planned and finished at 7 minutes.

With the eggs done, it was time to plate up. Before I get to that, I do have to mention that there was one item I made the night before and didn't get any pics of. That would be a chianti reduction. What I did was pretty simple: Take one cup of chianti wine and about 2-3 tablespoons of sugar and slowly cook down the wine until it reduces to a syrup. That's it. If it's too thick when it cools down, just add a tiny bit of more wine or water to it to thin it out.

When plating, I started by drizzling the sauce on the plate first. Then, I sliced the toast square in half to make triangles and set those on the plate. Herbs, tomato and bacon pieces went down next.

Now it was time for the star of this show, the eggs. The eggs sat atop the toast. On top of the eggs, I put a tiny bit of salt & pepper, with a thin drizzle of EVOO. Lastly, the chives on top of the eggs. And that's it!!!


The real test is to see if that yolk is nice and runny. I wasn't too nervous cutting into it, but I wasn't 100% either. When I cut into it, this is what I saw:


It came out exactly as I imagined in my head. I took a bite with the egg, toast and sauce, and it was awesome. The chianti reduction was a little tangy and a little sweet. It added a nice balance to the richness of the yolk and buttery toast. The Thai basil and tomatoes were great co-stars in this wonderful production. The crispy bacon bits gave that nice element of crunch and saltiness. And the chives....shit, you can't go wrong with chives!

I felt like I really made an idea turn into reality with this one. It doesn't happen often for me, but when it does, it does feel good. What felt even better was some of the reactions I got when I posted this on Instagram(my handle is @chefjmiller726). A few people asked if I made this or if I ordered it at restaurant. To me, that's a huge compliment. While I try not to fish for compliments, it's always nice to get positive feedback.

In the end, I like this technique for poaching eggs. If you have ever had trouble with poaching eggs the traditional way, give this a try. You might just like it. A lot.

I'm out.

54 comments:

  1. I realy liked the way the eggs were fixed . But why did you have to use such ugly words?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you haven't used the word, you have no emotion!

      Delete
    2. I agree, recipe awesome...language not so.

      Delete
    3. Those eggs were cooked too long !!!
      The yolk should be running out of the egg onto the toast !
      Those pics show the yolk staying put !!

      Delete
    4. It was such a nice read until the author acting like a kid trying to be cool and used bad word. Author need to grow up, just imagine him talking to his kids.

      Delete
    5. If you have never used that language in the kitchen, you never cooked!

      Delete
    6. Oh No he said a curss word!
      He's an adult get over it.

      Delete
  2. good presentation but the language was not great

    ReplyDelete
  3. I want to try this and I agree with the others--nice presentation but no need for the salty language. Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. First off, thank you for taking the time to read the blog! I'm glad you liked the recipe. As far as the language goes, it had always been a part of the blog. Which is probably why the blog was unsuccessful. Hindsight is a crazy thing. Thanks again!

      Delete
    2. I just burnt my Poacher out ! So this is on my list before I go waste money to replace. I , just to show the length of time I've been cooking lol This years turkey was 41

      Delete
  4. I fine with your language, it's what I think in my head but don't say out loud...Most of the time. Anyways I tried it with a bag and it worked just fine albeit a bit oddly shaped.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! Thanks for posting this! It's exciting to know someone tried something I posted about. I'm happy it worked out for you. Take care!

      Delete
  5. Hi Jason, i would not worry about your colorful choice of words, you are just being you !! After all we have a president to be that says worse and people think nothing of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You get it! Great point about our soon to be "leader".

      Delete
  6. Chef Miller, love the language and your article.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ok..the poached eggs drew me in FIRST! Your so called "salty language" made me think..I have to find this guys site!! Looks oh so yum and can hardly wait to try it!! Stay you and fuck the rest ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. you go big guy and to those who don't care for your "salty' language' tell them to get the bug out of their butts.( Had to look up how to spell language but now i know and i won't forget) it's nice to read a blog by someone who is real not some plastic version of a human being trying to be all politically correct.

    ReplyDelete
  9. As I'm 73 years old your language isn't so bad actually it added some humor for those that had a problem with it please don't turn on the TV or go to the movies Hollywood is much worst. How that's off my chest this looks like a great idea. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. any serious person would be turned off by the language. Definitely leave out the F word.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The blog was never meant to be that serious in the first place.

      Delete
    2. Jason I say don't sweat the small stuff.....I LOVE the FUCK outta pouched eggs!!

      Delete
  11. fuck yea, I'm gonna try this

    ReplyDelete
  12. How much water did you use to pouch the eggs?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a while ago, so I can't say for sure. I know it was a smaller pot, so I would guess around 1.5 quarts.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  13. Any concerns using plastic wrap, transferring chemicals to the eggs?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll be honest, I haven't researched into that. Up to this point in my culinary career, I haven't heard about plastic wrap doing that.

      Delete
  14. Love the idea for poached eggs...going to try it tomorrow morning. Salty language..no big deal.I am senior and If things screw up I've used the same words myself. I have a 80 year proper British lady friend and She has turned the air blue when upset. Great Blog

    ReplyDelete
  15. Recipe and the language were perfect. Really, who the fuck only cooks one piece of bacon!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Imagine if any of these people set foot in a true Chefs Kitchen...they would be hearing alot more than a casual fuck or shit.
    If you want a chefs recipes you get to deal with the chefs language!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I think we need to bring the fact checkers into this blog and see how many of you really do or don't believe the word "fuck" has any place in this blog. I think it's bloggers prerogative to "fuck or not to fuck", who the heck knows

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a clever idea! I love poached eggs, but I have never mastered the
    'swirl and simmer' method. As for your salty language, so long as you refrain from using the 'C-word', it's all good!

    ReplyDelete
  19. FUCK YES! now i can poach eggs and not go to Le Madeline for them....and seriously people...get a grip. the F-word has been used in kitchens and blogs across America, lets get real. Not that serious.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Looks delicious, I just may end up trying this soon. As for the language, it's said that people who swear very often are highly intelligent. I myself, being a reincarnated sailor, think it shows your passion for cooking. Bra-FUCKING-vo!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I can't wait to try this........and I am a Navy vet with a Sailors Mouth, so the language is just fucking REAL.....

    ReplyDelete
  22. At first I thought the egg was ugly, but the final presentation looks and tastes fucking awesome . Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow, my sister just sent your Arzak poached egg info. We had no idea that plastic wrap poached eggs had an inventor and a name! Muther's Day sometime w/i the past decade(my fucking memory's not what it used to be we had our family for eggs benedict. Didn't have a "poacher" so improvised using plastic wrap and then sandwich baggies, w/bread ties, when the saran wrapped out. The house was overflowing with hungry Muther's, kids, significant muther/& others, Grand muther's, etc. Cooking on the Muther of all days may not be your idea of a good time but I'll bet everyone will remember it and we all had a GREAT Muther Fucking Day! The next time we do eggs benedict, I'm making Your herbed toast recipe too, it looks fantastic! Thank you! CCB

    ReplyDelete
  24. Ex Navy. Fuck ya. Can't wait to try it. Damn, out of eggs!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I can never master any other way to poach eggs. This worked! I like mine just a shy more runny, but that is just a preference. I love the way you made the toast. I had never thought of toasting the bread that way... and I would have said FU_K too if the damn egg fell out. What makes your blog a good read is you are just like us. Keep up the good work. I am a follower now!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Look up what the F words ACTUALLY stands for LOL For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge......

    ReplyDelete
  27. YO,fuck yea I gonna try that shit back in the hood wid my homies knowhadeyem sayin, bitch.

    ReplyDelete
  28. about the salty words if you didn't say them the ones that don't mind would not miss them and the ones that do would feel more respected so your ratings might jus double just saying

    ReplyDelete
  29. Jason, what a wonderful dish! Very pro and tasty as hell, I bet! If people don't like your language, they can get bent. Keep up the wonderful work!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I've cooked eggs using this method for years, so obviously I am a fan of it (bread ties work well also for tying). I do have to say that your presentation was gorgeous. To the person that said the eggs were over cooked, look closer, I can see where the yolk ran out and is behind the toast As far as the language, well fuck, those that don't like it wouldn't want to work in my kitchen. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Delightful blog and the ladies who are complaining about your language have clearly never worked in a restaurant kitchen. I am going to try this method of poaching, I've always used a poacher until now but this looks like fun :)

    ReplyDelete