A Poaching Perfection

Eggs, meat and fish can be transformed by liquid. To do it correctly takes patience and precision, but the gently cooked results are well worth the effort.

COOKS differ on the correct temperature for poaching. Some say 80?degrees, some say 94?degrees. I say that the surface of the water should shiver rather than break and dont worry about looking for a thermometer.

A correctly poached fresh egg is a lovely way to start the day. It should be well-shaped with a mirrored, veiled surface over the yolk and without any straggly bits. Poaching is a gentle cooking method and is also suited to cooking small portions of fish or meat in a very short time.

There is a technique called au bleu for cooking a freshwater trout, which is quite barbaric. I doubt that many cooks will want to stun a live fish, sprinkle it with vinegar and slip it into a flavoured court-bouillon (see note below). It will certainly turn blue due to the chemical reaction of the vinegar and the mucus that covers the body of the trout. The same effect can be achieved with a very fresh trout that has already been dispatched, as long as there is a quantity of vinegar in the poaching liquid.

Poached salmon should remain glassy and a deep rose-pink in the centre, with pale-pink edges. Poached lamb loin or chunks of beef fillet will look greyish on the outside and will need to rest in a warm place so that once sliced the rosy interior will be evenly coloured and will not lose all its juice on the plate. Also, because the meat is cooked so simply, it is necessary to choose a prime cut that will be tender with brief cooking.

Filet a la ficelle is perhaps the best-known dish of this type. In this dish (one of my all-time favourites) chunks of beef fillet are supposed to be tied with string and suspended in beef broth for a few minutes. Over the years I have found that the chunks of beef fillet will cook quite well if slipped into just shivering beef broth without all the trouble of the string.

Then other root vegetables are cooked separately and the dish is served in a deep bowl surrounded by a selection of carrots, leeks, turnips and potatoes, moistened with its broth and accompanied by coarse salt, cornichons and mustard.

Prime pieces of lamb can be cooked in the same way. Ask the butcher for trimmed middle loin or back strap and ensure that all silver membrane has been trimmed away.

I like to serve this lamb with a vegetable puree, perhaps jerusalem artichoke, or a combination of potato and celeriac, or sliced onions cooked slowly in butter until soft and then pureed with a little cream. A spoonful of bright-green parsley and garlic puree is a delicious garnish and the dish seems to need something piquant like a sprinkling of capers, a few sliced black olives, or a scattering of lemon, garlic and parsley.

Note: A court-bouillon is made by simmering celery, onion and bay leaf in water for an hour and then straining.

The seasoning of all poached dishes is very important. As any prior seasoning will simply wash away in the broth or water, the meat or fish must be seasoned at the very last minute. Use sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Poached salmon with salad leaves, potatoes and mayonnaise

INGREDIENTS

For the salmon: 12 small kipfler potatoes, well washed but unpeeled 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 4 pieces salmon, pin bones removed 2 handfuls baby beans 4 handfuls tender salad leaves 2 spring onions, finely sliced

For the mayonnaise: 2 egg yolks 1/2 tsp sea salt juice of half a lemon 1/2 cup vegetable oil (grapeseed is my choice) 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil few drops tabasco or freshly ground pepper

METHOD

For the mayonnaise: Choose a comfortable basin and rest it on a damp cloth to stop it slipping. Work egg yolks with salt and one tablespoon of the lemon juice until smooth. Gradually beat in oil using a wooden spoon or a whisk, adding the first few tablespoons one at a time and beating well after each. Once a third of the oil has been added, the rest can be added in a thin, steady stream, beating all the while. (This is easiest if you have a helper to pour while you beat.) Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, salt and the hot pepper. Refrigerate with plastic film pressed on the surface to prevent a skin forming. Allow to return to room temperature before serving.

For the salmon: Steam potatoes until tender, then strip off the skin while they are hot. Drop each potato into a small bowl and toss with the oil to prevent them discolouring.

Bring two pots of salted water to the boil. Slip the pieces of salmon into one and adjust heat so the water barely shivers. Time for five minutes.

Drop the baby beans in the other pot and boil rapidly until tender. Remove beans once they are cooked and add to the bowl with the potatoes.

Remove the salmon and keep warm for about five minutes. Strip skin and discard.

Arrange the washed and dried greens on a central serving plate. Scatter over the potatoes and beans. Break the fish carefully into chunks and arrange on top of the vegetables. Scatter with the spring onions. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and drizzle over some mayonnaise.

Serve additional mayonnaise at the table.

Serves 4

Poached lamb with parsley sauce and a potato and celeriac puree

INGREDIENTS

For the lamb: 2 back straps of lamb 1 litre veal or lamb stock 12 baby carrots

For the celeriac and potato puree: 4 medium potatoes 1 celeriac 1 cup milk 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp cream salt pepper

For the parsley sauce: 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled 1 cup cream half-bunch parsley salt pepper 2 tbsp small capers

METHOD

For the celeriac and potato puree: Peel potatoes and boil until tender in lightly salted water. Peel celeriac thickly and cook until tender in half milk, half water (be careful it does not boil over). Once potatoes are tender press through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Once celeriac is tender lift the pieces from the milk-water mixture and press through the ricer into the potato bowl. Beat well together, adding a little of the hot milk-water to the puree and taste for salt and pepper. For the best texture, press this mixture through a coarse sieve. Now beat in the cream and the butter. Keep warm until needed. (Reheat the puree in the microwave or steamed in a bowl over hot water.)

For the parsley sauce: Place garlic cloves in a pot of cold water, bring slowly to the boil. Pour away water and repeat twice more. Now slip garlic cloves out of their skins, return to the pot and cook gently in the cream until the garlic is soft. Set aside until needed.

Pick the leaves from the parsley until you have a good cupful. Drop the leaves into boiling water for 30’seconds and then scoop directly from the water into a blender. Add the garlic-cream mixture and blend for quite a few minutes until the sauce is a brilliant emerald green. Taste for seasoning. This sauce also can be reheated as above.

To cook lamb: Preheat oven to 100?degrees. Bring stock to simmering point in a pot just large enough to hold the lamb. Slip in the pieces of lamb (that have been brought to room temperature). Time for five minutes. Remove lamb to a warm dish to rest for at least five minutes.

Reheat the sauce and puree and steam-cook the baby carrots.

Place a serve of puree on the plate. Slice lamb thinly on the diagonal and add the carrots and a ring of parsley sauce. Scatter with flakes of sea salt, grind over some pepper and strew over some capers.

Serves 4

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