Sous Vide Egg with Brocollini | Bacon Vinaigrette

The incredible, edible egg.  So versatile and so delicious.  It can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It can be baked, fried, poached, and even eaten raw.  But even with SO many varieties, it wasn't until this past season's Top Chef that we learned a new method of prepartion; cooking it at 63 degrees.  Why 63?  It goes back how incredible the egg is.  At it's core, the egg is made of two parts: whites and yolk.  The egg white sets at approximately 61 degrees while the egg yolk sets at 65.  So if you can control your cooking temperature somewhere between the two, you can create the perfect poached egg: warm gooey egg yolk blanketed in a soft velvety layer of egg white.  And the easiest way to make this 63 degree egg?  Sous vide it, of course!



This week, in celebration of Ray's big 3-2, I introduced the newest edition to our kitchen under the guise of a birthday present: the Sous Vide Supreme. This is the first sous vide contraption available for home use.



Slow-cooked Egg with Brocollini and Bacon Vinaigrette
adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients
4 eggs
1 bunch of brocollini
8 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat Sous-Vide Supreme to 142°F. Place eggs in water bath and cook at least 45 minutes, and up to 4 hours.

Bacon Vinaigrette: Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette by placing bacon in heavy-bottomed 10-inch skillet and cover with 1/2 cup water. Place over burner on medium high heat and cook, stirring occasionally until water has evaporated and bacon has crisped, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon and fat to medium bowl. Add honey, mustard, olive oil, and vinegar. Whisk vigorously to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.



Bring 4 quarts of water with 4 tablespoons kosher salt to a rolling boil in large Dutch Oven. Add brocollini and cook until bright green and tender but still crisp, 2 to 5 minutes depending on thickness. Drain brocollini  and set on serving plate.

Carefully crack cooked egg, and using fingertips, create a hole about 1-inch in diameter.




Pour egg into small bowl, then carefully set on top of brocollini. Repeat with remaining eggs.



Drizzle eggs and brocollini with bacon vinaigrette and serve immediately.



Note: I've near heard of cooking bacon in water first but it was pure genuis! The bacon cooked and crisped nicely without burning and it didn't taste as greasy/satly as it usually does. This will definitely be our new way to cook bacon.The bacon vinaigrette was delicious! Maybe because I used aged balsamic that fares on the sweeter side but I found the sauce lacking acidity. I had to toss in a couple of teaspoons of white vineger to adjust the taste. Otherwise, the vinaigrette was really yummy - another winner! It is also very adaptable to other veggies like asparagus, brocolli, etc.

All in all, we are very happy with our Sous Vide Supreme - up next, pastrami!