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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

This Is Fine Cooking!

I love a lot of the recipes in Fine Cooking magazine. Honestly, most of them I have made have been really great.
They did a series this month on brunch and here is one of my favorite vegetarian recipes I made last weekend… but forgot to take a photo.

This weekend I used pancetta, mixed greens, heirloom multi-colored tomatoes and an aioli mayo to remind me that anything – even a BLT- is good on a brioche.

Bon Appetit!

Poached Eggs on Brioche Toast with Garlicky Mushrooms
by Bill Telepan

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1-1/2 lb. hen of the woods mushrooms (or other exotic mushrooms, such as oyster), broken into large pieces

Kosher salt

1 Tbs. distilled white vinegar

8 large eggs

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

8 (3/4-inch-thick) slices brioche

2 oz. (4 Tbs.) salted butter; or as needed

6 oz. (6 loosely packed cups) baby spinach

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F.

Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add half of the mushrooms in a single layer and brown them on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the mushrooms and cook for 30 seconds more. Season them with salt and transfer to a plate. Repeat with 2 more Tbs. oil and the remaining mushrooms. Season them with salt and return the reserved mushrooms to the skillet. Add 2 Tbs. water, put the skillet in the oven, and roast until tender, about 5 minutes.

While the mushrooms are cooking, bring 3 quarts of water, the vinegar, and 1/2 Tbs. salt to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan over high heat. While the water heats, crack 4 of the eggs into separate cups or coffee mugs. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and then carefully slide the eggs into the water. Poach the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving space between each egg. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Trim away any scraggly bits of egg white.

In a small skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 1/2 cup oil and the garlic, stirring, until the garlic is light golden-brown, about 1-1/2 minutes. Carefully add the parsley (it will bubble) and immediately transfer the mixture to a small bowl.

Toast the brioche until golden-brown and butter it.

Divide the spinach among 8 large plates. Lightly season the spinach with salt and drizzle with some of the garlic oil. Position a slice of toast in the center of each plate, and put an egg on top of each slice. Sprinkle the eggs lightly with salt. Arrange the mushrooms on the plates and drizzle with the remaining garlic oil.