A quick definition:
A poached egg is a method of cooking eggs. They are cooked whole but without the shell, directly in a pot of simmering water with vinegar and salt added.
1 Preheat your oven to 355°F (180 °C).
2 Roll out your shortcrust pastry and cut rounds of approximately 15 cm using a cookie cutter. Prick them and place them in your individual tartlet molds. Make sure the pastry adheres well to the sides, then fill them with either parchment paper and baking beans or dried beans and place in the oven at mid-level for 15 minutes. Remove them, empty them, and bake for another 15 minutes.
3 Poach your eggs two at a time in simmering vinegared water (2.1 qt (2 liters) of water for 0.6 cup (15 cl) of vinegar) for a cooking time of 2 minutes. Then, each time, carefully transfer them with a slotted spoon to a bowl filled with ice water placed near you. Once you finish this step, drain them on paper towels and then refrigerate them covered with a damp cloth.
4 Your guests are about to arrive: turn your oven to 175°F (80 °C) and place your tartlet shells inside. Heat some salted water (1 to 2.1 qt (2 liters)), then in two small saucepans, heat on one side your brandade with the chopped truffle and on the other your béchamel to which you add your cream, making sure to adjust the seasoning in both cases.
5 Plunge your poached eggs into simmering water for 20 seconds, then place them on paper towels.
6 Now you need to pick up the pace: on warm plates, arrange your lukewarm tartlet shells, then place a large spoonful of your truffle-infused brandade at the bottom and spread it out. Place one poached egg on each tartlet, coat it with your creamy sauce, and finish with a thin slice of truffle placed in the center. This is why I mentioned earlier keeping a bit of surplus salt cod brandade, though of course you can find it ready-made from a good fishmonger or caterer. Likewise, if you're hesitant about poaching eggs, you can also cook them soft-boiled in the shell (6 minutes after the water returns to a boil) and then peel them. As you've probably figured out by now, you can prepare this entire dish the day before and simply reheat it just minutes before your guests arrive, which is a great advantage because this method lets you avoid being overwhelmed and allows you to spend more quality time at the table with your guests.
Don't plunge your poached eggs directly into boiling water to reheat them: just 20 seconds in simmering water at 80 °C, no more. Beyond that, the whites toughen and the yolk starts to set, goodbye to that runny center. Prepare them the day before, keep them in ice water in the fridge under a damp cloth, and they'll last 24 hours without any problem.
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