Whole soft-cooked eggs, amongst other things

whole soft-cooked eggs oeufs mollets

Spring green vegetables and whole soft-cooked eggs, vanilla-flavored vinaigrette

June.

Juin

Is it real?

Tomorrow is my older brother B.’s birthday. He will be 43 — and he will probably spend his day in his wonderful garden. A gift.

So I can’t believe it’s June! I know, you’ve heard me say this before. But really, I mean it. This time, it’s just too quick to arrive.

My apologies for not being able to respond to your emails and notes, or being more present. I don’t like it — hopefully you won’t even have noticed — but I am simply not able to follow up right now. I have the cookbook to finish in a month.

Yes, you read well.

A short month.

With our Lulu to take care of, growing by the second, by my side. She’s all about stuffing her feet into her mouth at the moment. It’s her new thing. I had forgotten how fascinating a pair of feet can be. Oh, and blowing bubbles with her lips pursed too. That’s actually quite funny! I must say, I’ve spent a fair amount observing and discovering things through her fresh eyes. And giving her kisses — at least ten at a time — every two minutes.

It’s addictive.

Needless to say that I am b.u.s.y! Too busy!

It will change over time.

Now, of course, I am not complaining. It’s all fulfilling. But frankly, I’ll be happy to get to the depth of the summer when P., Lulu and I travel to Ireland and France — oh I love it already — and we can take long walks through the fields in the countryside, à la campagne, and smell the flowers again.

I cannot wait.

So I thought I would stop by quickly today, to share a recipe I’ve enjoyed preparing for my lunches these past weeks.

It’s a dish full of vitamins, taste and color — that’s, if like me, you like the color green and spring vegetables and a vanilla-flavored vinaigrette to go with it. But it’s also all about the egg too, you know, the kind you cook on the runny side. We call them oeufs mollets in French.

I just like the name.

And it’s just the type of foods that I need at the moment to keep me to go forward.

Well, you can try and tell me what you think.

Spring green vegetables and whole soft-cooked eggs, vanilla-flavored vinaigrette

(For 4 people)

    For the vegetables:

  • 1 vanilla bean, cut open and seeds scraped out
  • 2 cups snap peas, or sugar peas
  • 16 green asparagus
  • 4 leeks, white part only
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
  • Salt
  • Crushed red peppercorns
  • For the whole soft-cooked eggs:

  • 4 extra fresh eggs
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • Salt

Steps:

  • Steam the vegetables for 5 minutes and rinse them under cold water; set aside.
  • In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar with the oil. Add the vanilla seeds, mint, salt and red peppercorns. Serve on top of the warm vegetables.
  • Boil water in a pot with the white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt. When the water is boiling, drop the eggs carefully in the water. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and tap them with a knife, holding each in one hand. Remove the shell carefully. Serve on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with red peppercorns. Serve with crusty bread on the side.
Le coin français
Légumes verts printaniers, oeufs mollets et leur vinaigrette vanillée

(Pour 4 personnes)

    Pour les légumes :

  • 1 gousse de vanille, pour ses graines
  • 1 càs de menthe hachée
  • 180 g de pois gourmands
  • 16 asperges vertes
  • 4 jeunes poireaux, partie blanche
  • 2 càs de vinaigre de xérès
  • 6 càs d’huile d’olive
  • Sel
  • Baies roses concassées grossièrement
  • Pour les oeufs mollets :

  • 4 oeufs bien frais
  • 1 càs de vinaigre de vin blanc
  • Sel

Etapes :

  • Faites cuire les légumes à la vapeur pendant 5 minutes et rinsez-les sous de l’eau froide.
  • Dans un bol, faites émulsionner le vinaigre avec l’huile, et ajoutez les graines de vanille, la menthe, du sel et des baies roses. Servez sur les légumes.
  • Faites bouillir de l;eau dans une casserole avec le vinaigre de vin blanc et le sel. Quand l’eau bout, ajoutez les oeufs et faites cuire pendant 5 minutes. Retirez-les du feu et tapez le dessu délicatement avec une cuiller en bois. Retirez la coquille doucement — c’est fragile. Servez les oeufs sur les légumes et ajoutez des baies roses. Servez avec un bon pain rustique.
Posted in Appetizers, Eggs, Gluten Free, Vegetarian

38 comments

  1. j’ai un petit bonhomme de 7 mois et, comme on me l’avait prédit… le mordillage attentif du gros orteil a coïncidé avec l’arrivé de la première dent!
    Courage Lulu !

  2. lovely recipe. I made green asparagus and eggs last week but with a simple balsamico vinaigrette though.Vanilla… hmm..i am going to try this next time 🙂 Shy

  3. I discovered vanilla flavored vinaigrette a while ago in spain (using vanilla infused olive oil) and instantly loved it! This looks like the perfect lunch to me — especially since I also love runny eggs! Happy birthday to your brother and happy June to all of you!

  4. Comment ne pas comprendre?
    Merci de ces couleurs très printanières et rafraichissantes…

  5. Followup…it WAS supremely delicious. So healthy. My mouth and my tummy are really satisfied tonight.

  6. Wow, quickly Sunday morning, because that is what will be on the menu! Perfect!

    Thanks B.

  7. The picture is, as usual, stunning, and just makes me want to have the same plate in front of me. Well, except that it’s 4pm, so not the perfect time to eat…
    I’ve never flavored my vinaigrette with vanilla, I must try it sometimes…

  8. Delish. And the phrase you’re looking for is “soft-boiled egg”

  9. I’ve never encountered a vanilla vinaigrette before, but you’ve definitely intrigued me with this one. I’ve got some fresh asparagus and mint in the fridge, so I might just have to give this a try for tomorrow’s lunch…

  10. Thanks for sneaking in this darling recipe for us. The variety of flavors and textures is captivating. Best of luck with your book!

  11. For some reason, I never realized that soft cooked (boiled) eggs look quite a lot like poached eggs – which is something I’ve never gotten the hang of. I’ll have to give this method a try! Everything sounds delicious.

  12. Une vinaigrette à la vanille, pourquoi-pas? j’essaierai… de plus j’adore les oeufs mollets et je n’en ai pas fait depuis longtemps! ta recette tombe à pic. Bon courage pour ce dernier mois de travail. Je suis sûre que ce sera génial!

  13. Des oeufs mollets, j’en fait très souvent. Mais juste avec de l’eau bouillante ! Quel est l’intérêt d’ajouter du sel et du vinaigre dans l’eau de cuisson ?

  14. mmm it looks really tasty…the vegetables looks so fresh… and good!! and I love the eggs cooked in every way!
    I can’t believe how children grow fast… yesterday my little ones were eating their feet and today they go to school… too fast!
    Wonderful picture as always 🙂

  15. I love the fancy plastic fork!
    At first I thought you superimposed the fork, because I saw thru to the asparagus, but then I realized that the utensil was clear plastic!
    Very clever, B!

  16. looks so fresh and bountiful. perfect for spring. you are busy for great reasons so we will wait patiently. anxious for the book really!

  17. Thank you everyone!

    Lo, le vinaigre, c’est au cas où le blanc sort de la coquille si elle se casse. Ca permet à ce qu’il ne se mélange pas à l’eau 😉 Enfin, si ca marche!

  18. I just love green things with a runny egg! It’s something I have at least once a week, but that vanilla vinaigrette sounds like something I really need to try:)

  19. oh this sounds delicious! poached eggs on roasted garlic asparagus is one of my favorite meals, any time of day – but i will definitely have to try to vanilla vinagrette!

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  21. what is the purpose of vinegar in the water of the egg while its cooking?

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