Soft-Boiled Eggs (法式水煮蛋)

*This was a post that first appeared in my prior blog, 2 Sisters et 1 Cat

I'm an eggy person, you might call me an egg freak. Therefore, I'm very particular about my eggs! If you've ever had a brunch at a French restaurant, you probably have had some soft-boiled eggs before. I don't know about you, but I love having my eggs underdone most of the time. It is fairly easy to prepare; the trick is just the timing. The creamy runny yolk makes it a perfect accompaniment for salads, vegetables, on toasted English muffins, or any breakfast dish.

1.  Take out your eggs from the fridge and set them on the counter. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring 2-3 inches water to a boil. 

2.  Carefully add the eggs, cover, and let it continue to boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let stand for about 5-6 minutes. (*If you like your yolk runny like I do, let it sit about 5 minutes; if you're afraid of runny yolks, let it sit for 6-7 minutes. Also, for the first time, I would suggest trying at least 6-7 minutes to test it to your liking.)

3.  While waiting, prepare a bowl of ice water. After removing the egg from the pot, immediately place it in a bowl of ice water for 1-2 minutes.

4.  Take out the egg from ice water and gently tap the pointy end against the counter top to crack the shell. Peel off the top of the shell just enough to allow you to spoon out the soft egg, and place it in an egg cup. Serve with a little bit of flaky/course sea salt.

The recipe above is the simplest way to enjoy the soft-boiled egg. There are a few more ways I like to enjoy them as well and I'd like to share them with you:

1.  This one is for the runny yolk lovers!!

Follow the recipe above (but make sure you only let the eggs sit in the hot water for 5-6 minutes!) Place the soft-boiled eggs in an egg cup. Scoop out a little bit of the egg white -- the top part only -- just enough to reveal the egg yolk (see photo). Toast a slice of bread (homemade is better!); butter it and cut it into sticks. Dip the toasted bread sticks into the yummy egg yolk and enjoy.

2.  Follow the recipe above and complete procedure no. 3, after soaking the egg in ice water. Gently crack the entire egg (on all sides) against the counter top and carefully peel off the whole egg shell. (Since the egg is a little bit on the soft side, you must handle it VERY carefully so it won't break.) Serve the egg on a salad, home fries, vegetables, or an open sandwich. 

法式水煮蛋

有去過法式餐廳吃brunch的話，你大概吃過法式水煮蛋，那濃濃的蛋黃液和嫩嫩的蛋白很適合搭配在brunch的菜色上，其實這種法式水煮蛋的做法很簡單，只要時間抓的好，可以做出像餐廳一樣的效果。

做法:

1.   將蛋從冰箱拿出放置檯面，另在一個中型的深鍋中加入2-3吋深的水，煮至沸滾。

2.  慢慢放入蛋並蓋上蓋子，1分鐘後熄火，靜置大約5分鐘。(若你跟我一樣喜歡不太熟，呈乳狀的蛋黃，請放置5-6分鐘；若是你不敢吃那樣的蛋黃，請放置6-7分鐘。第一次嘗試，我建議妳先試 6-7分鐘，因為火勢，鍋子，或蛋大小的差亦會使結果有所不同。)  

3.  這當下，準備一大盆加入冰塊的冰水。把蛋從鍋子拿出來後，馬上放入冰水中浸泡1-2分鐘。

4.  拿出浸在冰水的蛋，在檯面上輕敲蛋較尖的那ㄧ頭，使有裂痕，並撥開一點點的殼 (只要剝開到可放入一支小湯匙即可)，放入蛋杯中，可加粗海鹽一起食用。

以上是最簡單最基本的方法， 而我現在要與你們分享的是我個人喜歡食用它的幾種方式：

1.  第一種方式是給予那濃乳狀蛋黃液的喜好者！

遵照以上的食譜 (但熄火後必須放置滾水中5分鐘！) 放入蛋杯中後，挖出上面已去殼的蛋白部分足以顯示那濃濃的蛋黃。將切片的吐司烤一下，抹上奶油後切成條狀沾入蛋黃液中食用。

2. 遵照以上的食譜至部驟 4. 把蛋從冰水中拿出後，在檯面上輕敲整顆蛋，使呈現一些裂痕，然後從較頓的那一頭開始剝殼。(因為半熟的蛋較軟，剝殼時要非常小心，不要太用力才不會把蛋弄破！) 放置湯匙上轉放到盤子，可以和沙拉，煎馬鈴薯，蔬菜，培根，或其它早餐類一起食用。