An easier way to poach an egg? Just get a strainer

Several years ago, Lyonnais salads were quite the rage in New York’s French bistros. Then the fad faded and I forgot all about them. That is, until this past summer, when I had the happy opportunity to teach some classes in Lyons and reacquainted myself with this regional delight.
The classic recipe calls for frisee lettuce tossed with mustardy vinaigrette, then topped with lardons (chewy little chunks of bacon), croutons, and — ta da! — a poached egg. The poached egg not only makes the salad quite substantial, but — thanks to the luxurious way the yolk coats the greens once it has been broken — also acts as an extra sauce. (I’ve always been sucker for a salad topped with a poached egg and bacon, of course.)
Still, I know that the prospect of poaching eggs is sometimes scary to the home cook. In truth, the standard method can be daunting even to a trained chef.
Here’s how I was taught to do it: Bring to a simmer a pot of water combined with a hefty amount of white vinegar. Break the eggs into individual ramekins. Create a whirlpool in the water by frantically swirling a spoon along the pot’s circumference, then drop an egg into the dead center of the whirlpool. Repeat this routine with the remaining eggs, then let them simmer until they’re just done.
I rarely managed to place the egg in the center of the whirlpool, which meant that my poached eggs — with their messy strands of white — usually ended up looking like lopsided spiders. Why do those strands stray from the egg? Have you ever noticed that when you crack an egg, the egg white separates into two parts? There’s a thick, viscous part hugging the yolk and a thin, watery part along the edges. It’s the watery part that, when cooked, becomes straggly.
Recently, I’ve learned a simple way to solve that problem: lose the watery whites. Just place your raw egg in a fine mesh strainer, tip the strainer around (which helps to separate the thin part of the white from the thick part), then bang it hard several times against the edge of the bowl. The thinner part of the egg white will fall through the strainer. Discard it and your eggs are ready for poaching without fear of spider legs.
I simplified the recipe further by saying au revoir to the whirlpool and the vinegar. I always thought the vinegar made the whites taste — Duh! — like vinegar. Now all I do is bring a pot of water to a boil, turn it off, add the strained eggs, cover the pot, and let the eggs cook, off the heat, until they are just done. Behold the perfect little bulls-eyed ovals.
The rest of the salad is very straightforward — frisee or your choice of greens, a bacon-rich vinaigrette, croutons, and — my custom touch — smoked salmon, which turns this delicious appetizer into a main dish. In the words of my favorite Francophile, Ms. Julia Child, “Bon appetit!”
LYONNAIS-STYLE SALAD WITH SMOKED SALMON
Start to finish: 40 minutes
2 cups of ½-inch bread cubes, cut from country-style bread
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 slices center cut bacon
2 Tbsp. minced shallot
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
8 cups ripped frisee lettuce, baby arugula or shredded Tuscan kale
4 large eggs
4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into 1-by-2-inch pieces
Heat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with 1 tablespoon of oil. Spread the cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake on the oven’s middle shelf for 6 to 8 minutes, or until light golden. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, cook bacon until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain, then crumble it. Discard all but 2 teaspoons of bacon fat from the pan and return bacon to the pan along with the shallots.
Cook over medium heat, scraping up the brown bits, until the shallots have softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove skillet from the heat and whisk in vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining oil to the pan in a stream, whisking. Keep warm over low heat.
Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil.
One at a time, break eggs into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Tilt the egg around in the strainer and bang the strainer a few times on top of the bowl to let all the loose egg white fall through the strainer. Transfer the drained eggs to individual ramekins or small bowls. Discard loose whites from the large bowl.
When water is boiling, remove saucepan from the heat. Very gently slide eggs into the water and cover the pan. Poach eggs in the residual heat for 1½ to 2 minutes, or until they have reached the desired degree of doneness. Use a slotted spoon to transfer eggs to a shallow bowl.
In a large bowl toss lettuce with the warm dressing, then divide among 4 serving plates. Top each portion with a quarter of the croutons, a quarter of the salmon and a poached egg.
Servings: 4
Nutrition information per serving: 340 calories; 210 calories from fat (62 percent of total calories); 24 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 200 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 16 g protein; 720 mg sodium.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”