Poached Eggs and Hollandaise Sauce

I really love eggs, but only in specific forms (I adamantly refuse to eat scrambled eggs ever again),  so I've had to really perfect cooking the forms that I do like. For weekend breakfasts we almost always settle on poaching. Below is my tried and tested method for poaching the perfect egg.

Poaching an Egg

1. Get a medium sized pot filled with water and set it on high to boil.

2. Once it just starts to boil turn the heat to as low as it will go and wait until the boiling bubbles disappear.

3. When the water is settled, gently stir it, then crack your eggs into the water (we usually do 4 or so at a time - it will depend on your pot size). The stirring should help the eggs from immediately sticking to the bottom of the pot.

4. Wait until the whites start to go opaque, then take a small spoon and gently lift the whites to make sure they aren't sticking to the bottom (trust me - trying to clean off the bottom of the pot with egg whites all on it is a nightmare)

5. Let the eggs sit in the water for 5 minutes or so, until they are done to your liking (we like ours on the soft side). You can check their 'doneness' by scooping them out with a slotted spoon and giving them a little wiggle - if they are bouncy then they could use a little more time, and if they are firm they are good to go!

If you're poaching a lot of eggs, and are impatient, you may want to have the burner on low-medium so that the water stays a little warmer - but don't let the water get to a rolling boil again, otherwise your eggs will be in 1000 little inedible pieces.

And voila! Amazingly poached eggs! And what goes better with poached eggs then english muffins, prosciutto and hollandaise sauce......

I use the Food Network's RECIPE for Hollandaise sauce and have never been disappointed. It's a great straightforward recipe, which means no more $15 eggs benedict or package hollandaise sauce!