Servings: four.
In this creative twist on eggs benedict, the eggs and bacon are poached together in plastic sacks (similar to the sous vide method of cooking), then rolled in English muffin crumbsand deep-fried. The vinaigrette is a spin on hollandaise, but it’s not emulsified into a smooth sauce. To save time, start preparing the English muffins before you begin cooking the bacon and eggs.
Working in batches if necessary, cook the bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, flipping occasionally, until crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate and discard the bacon fat in the pan. When the bacon is cool, mince it and set aside.
Line four 4-oz. cups or ramekins with plastic wrap, leaving 3 inches of plastic hanging over the edges on all sides. Spray a thin coating of cooking spray on the plastic wrap. Cut a large piece of plastic wrap into 4 strips.
Sprinkle the parsley and then the bacon evenly among the cups. Crack one egg into each cup and season each egg with a pinch of salt. Gather up the loose ends of each piece of plastic wrap, pushing out as much air as possible. Twist the plastic wrap a few times to create a ball shape. Tie each pouch closed with one of the plastic strips.
Put the plastic-wrapped eggs in the boiling water and cook until the egg whites are firmly set but the yolk is still runny, about 4 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Chill in the refrigerator until cool, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
When cool, peel the eggs and grate them on the fine holes of a box grater.
In a medium bowl, combine the grated eggs, oil, lemon juice, parsley, zest, and anchovy. Season to taste with salt. The vinaigrette will be thick and won’t emulsify.
Arrange the English muffins in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Dry them in the oven for 1 hour; then turn the broiler to high and toast the muffins until golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely.
In a food processor, pulse the muffins into fine crumbs. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside in a wide, shallow bowl. Put the flour in another wide, shallow bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Put the eggs in a third wide, shallow bowl, season with a pinch of salt, and beat.
Pour enough vegetable oil into a 4-quart pot to fill it to a 2-inch depth and heat it to 350°F over medium-high heat.
While the oil is heating, remove the plastic-wrapped eggs from the refrigerator and cut the plastic just below the tie. Peel off the remaining plastic. Working with one egg at a time, gently dredge in the flour and then the egg mixture, shaking to remove any excess. Gently coat the egg with the crumb mixture. Transfer the egg to a large plate and repeat the process with the remaining eggs.
Fry the breaded eggs until golden-brown and warmed through, about 90 seconds. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
A really fun disaster. This took forever to prepare and wasn't tasty enough to be worth making again, but it sure was fun to make with friends. We all agreed that we'd make the recipe but replace the messy and delicate deep-frying with normal poached eggs were we to make it again.
I made this today. It was a disaster in the kitchen. The eggs cooked for the specified time and sat in the fridge for the hour. But they really were soft boiled. Soft boiled is a tough thing to roll in flour, egg and crumbs! I also thought the vinaigrette with all those eggs was repulsive looking. A little raw egg goes a long way. I fried them for almost two minutes and the white was still raw in the middle, something I'm really phobic about. All and all, it was a mess....and it sounded so good!
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