Candied salmon makes me happy.

I first discovered this Whole Foods wonder about four years ago. Back then, I ate is as a very tasty sweet snack. Nowadays, as I'm trying to watch my girlish figure, I eat just a little of this golden treat alongside greens and a poached egg.

There are other brands of this lovely delicacy, so try and find some and make yourself a special breakfast.

Poached Eggs ala Gran Fran

Ingredients:

small saucepan for boiling water
2 tsps red or white wine vinegar
1 egg

Method:

Fill saucepan 3/4 of the way full with water
Add vinegar.
Set the pan on the stove to boil.
Crack the egg onto a small plate or saucer, being careful not to break the yolk.
Once the water is boiling, spin the water around in the center of the pan using a fork to create a whirlpool.
Quickly and carefully pour the egg into the center of the whirlpool.
At this point, I use a large metal spoon to help the whites congeal together around the yolk. Just keep on gently pushing the whites toward the yolk and eventually, they attache to each other.
Remove the egg from the boiling water once the white seems set (it takes a bit of trial and error).
If the spoon is big enough, keep the egg on there and pour off any extra water onto a paper towel.
Serve it up with the candied salmon and some greens.

Enjoy!

Step 1: Candied Salmon

Candied salmon makes me happy.

I first discovered this Whole Foods wonder about four years ago. Back then, I ate is as a very tasty sweet snack. Nowadays, as I'm trying to watch my girlish figure, I eat just a little of this golden treat alongside greens and a poached egg.

There are other brands of this lovely delicacy, so try and find some and make yourself a special breakfast.

Step 2: What You'll Need

I think my mom (Gran Fran) only uses red wine vinegar, but I don't always have that on hand, the white one seems to be a fine replacement. I once tried it with balsamic vinegar and not only did the egg turn brownish, it had a strong vinegar taste to it.

Ingredients:
small saucepan for boiling water
2 tsps red or white wine vinegar
1 egg

Step 3: Boil the Water

Use a small saucepan, you don't want a huge amount of space around the egg. But, be careful to leave enough space to make the whirlpool happen (see next step...).

Fill saucepan 3/4 of the way full with water
Add vinegar.
Set the pan on the stove to boil.

Step 4: Crack That Egg

In order to get the egg into the pan without too much fuss, I was taught to crack the egg onto a saucer. It makes managing the transfer into the pan easier, and I like the irregular shape you get this way, rather than submerging a ladle into the water with the cracked egg in it.

Crack the egg onto a small plate or saucer, being careful not to break the yolk.

Step 5: Whirlpool!

The whirlpool is cool. I don't know if everyone did this at camp, but we would form a huge circle in the round pool and all run in the same direction. At some point, we'd be told to reverse direction, and inevitably, we'd be knocked over by the force of the whirlpool. I always think of that when I'm poaching eggs!

Once the water is boiling, spin the water around in the center of the pan using a fork to create a whirlpool.
Quickly and carefully pour the egg into the center of the whirlpool.
At this point, I use a large metal spoon to help the whites congeal together around the yolk. Just keep on gently pushing the whites toward the yolk and eventually, they attache to each other.

Step 6: It's Ready

There's nothing worse than being served a poached egg that is set in a container that still has hot water in it. Take the time and care to do the following before you place the egg in its serving container.

Remove the egg from the boiling water once the white seems set (it takes a bit of trial and error).
If the spoon is big enough, keep the egg on there and pour off any extra water onto a paper towel.

Step 7: Serve It Up!

I don't have much to say here but, yummy, yummy, yummy.

Serve it up with the candied salmon and some greens.

Once you're a pro at poaching eggs, a whole new world or fairly health conscious meals open their doors to you: blanched asparagus salad, frisee with lardons, and of course the not so low-cal eggs benedict.

Enjoy!