Day 41 - Pages 253 through 256 - Soft-cooked Hen Egg; Caviar, Onions, & Potato

If I were to advise someone about how to cook through the Momofuku cookbook, I would tell them to make this dish first. It has many components but each one is technically straightforward and though time consuming, difficult to botch. And it is really, really good.

I thought it might be difficult to find the right caviar but this is Marin and it turns out that every market between Kentfield and Corte Madera has a selection of caviars in its deli case. At Woodlands Market I got the Tsar Nicolai Classic (at $38/ounce is ranked "affordable"); it's local (California central valley) and sustainable (farm raised). Having tasted it, I can imagine larger beads with more flavor and texture but this was very creamy and briny of the sea. I also found some nice Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes.

First I made the Onion Soubise: "Tender, tender onions in an emulsified sauce of butter, onion juice, and water." This took about 2 hours of monitored cooking.
Next came the 5:10 Eggs: I boiled the eggs for 5 minutes, 10 seconds exactly and put them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Cracking and peeling the eggs under water makes it easier to remove the shells without tearing the egg white.

For the Fines Herbes Salad I cut up some parsley, chives, and marjoram from the garden.
The Fingerling Potato Chips were sliced on a mandoline ("see-through thin"!) and deep fried until crisp. (Yeah, I like to take photos of food frying!)

Everything was arranged on a plate, the egg was nestled into the onions, and I carefully made a cut in the egg and let the soft yolk spill out. I piled half an ounce of caviar into the egg and I had an incredible lunch.

Eating this dish put me in a celebratory mood. It's clear now why caviar is such a special treat and I'm glad to have this as part of my kitchen repertoire because I'm sure that I'll return to it.