Today I poached not just an egg, but an idea. I spent last Sunday in San Francisco with my friend Jen, and we had our hearts set on sushi for lunch. We were moseying around Japantown, and at 1:30 p.m. we realized if we didn't eat soon we'd collapse like overcooked udon right there on the pavement. Walking up Fillmore Street, I stopped short. There, just like that, my craving did an about-face, turning abruptly from sushi to lightly poached eggs. As some unsuspecting diner at a sidewalk cafe chatted idly with her companion, her egg shimmied seductively on her plate.
Eat me, it whispered.
We went inside.
Now this will not be a full-blown restaurant review of The Grove, our lunch spot that day. But there are a few important takeaways I'd like to impart:
1) Next time you're in San Francisco, go to The Grove (2016 Fillmore Street).
2) Get a towering glass of freshly-squeezed OJ.
3) Avoid jostling your rickety table or said OJ will leap from glass to table, stickifying everything.
4) Order Dave's Downfall ($8.25), a luxurious concoction of poached eggs, bacon, avocado, and Parmesan cheese served on an English muffin.
I'm nothing if not a realist, so... Since the likelihood of your ever actually going to the Grove is slim if not nil (particularly you, my farflung readers), I've poached Dave's concept and re-created it here for your cooking pleasure. I've left off the Parmesan (love it, but it's extraneous), and without the rickety table the experience won't be exactly the same. But this dish still pleases and soothes in all its glorious simplicity.
Dave, you da man.
...
Recipe for Poached Eggs, Avocado, and Bacon a la Dave
Serves 2
The combination of creamy avocado, salty bacon, and silky eggs is so rich and satisfying I just don't see a need for cheese. If you disagree, be my guest and add a bit of Parmesan. I found one egg per person to be plenty, but double up if you're especially hungry.
Whole wheat bread, whole wheat English muffin, or whole wheat naan, toasted and lightly buttered
4 strips cooked bacon
2 eggs
1 avocado, sliced
coarse salt
Place toasted bread, English muffin, or naan on 2 serving plates and top each with 2 strips of bacon.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Lower the heat to a steady simmer.
Crack one egg into a small ramekin. Using caution, slowly lower the ramekin towards the hot water, near the edge of the pot, and tilt it so that the egg falls into the water. Crack the second egg into the same ramekin and repeat on the other side of the pot.
Keeping the water at a steady simmer, poach the eggs gently for a minute and a half, then use a slotted spoon to flip them carefully as they bob. Cook the other side a minute to a minute and a half longer, or until the yolks look slightly pinkish and are beginning to set. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, and lay them lovingly atop the bacon. Fan a few slices of avocado over the eggs. Sprinkle with coarse salt, and have at it.
