How to Cook an Egg: Robuchon v. Point

Photo: geishaboy500 on flickr

Starchefs has an interesting article titled 'How to Cook an Egg' with Chef Joël Robuchon of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon that involves the use of a thermal circulator and insulating foam. Robuchon and his cohort have determined that the perfect egg must be cooked in a water bath at exactly 63.5 degrees for 45 minutes before being served. Cooking it at just a half degree higher tempurature results in a mushy yolk and an unappealing dish when served plainly.

If you find yourself wanting a well cooked egg, but don't have ready access to sous vide equipment here's a more manageable method involving a pan, some butter and a little heat. This "recipe" of Fernand Point's can be found in the first few pages of The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine, Rudolph Chelminski's fascinating biography of the brilliant, troubled Michelin 3-star chef Bernard Loiseau.

"Place a lump of fresh butter in a pan or egg dish and let it melt -- that is, just enough for it spread, and never, of course, to crackle or spit; open a very fresh egg onto a small plate or saucer and slide it carefully into the pan; cook it on heat so low that the white barely turns creamy, and the yolk becomes hot but remains liquid; in a separate saucepan, melt another lump of fresh butter; remove the egg onto a lightly heated serving plate; salt it and pepper it, then very gently pour this fresh, warm butter over it."

As a non-chef my egg cooking goes something like this: heat pan, add butter, crack egg, wait. After trying Point's method, however, I have to admit that it sure does make for a reliably tasty egg. So when you're assigned brunch responsibility at next month's PCPD meetup or you just want to treat that $2 greenmarket egg with respect, a little focus on the details goes a long way.