low temperature egg

 

 

Low Temperature egg

with Potato Foam 

 

This dish has been with me almost as long as I’ve worked as a private chef. I always say that this combination (potato foam and low-temperature egg) will become a traditional dish of the future. You can already find it in many pintxo bars and restaurants in northern Spain.

 

This version is inspired by the iconic pintxo from Casa Urola in the old town of San Sebastián. During my student days, we would spend our weekly tips on pintxos in the old town, and a stop at Casa Urola was non-negotiable.

 

Here is this simple recipe that captures two of the most important techniques in contemporary cooking: warm foam and low-temperature cooking. These techniques represent an era of innovation, research, and development in haute cuisine. Today, we can even use them in our own homes. When you think about it for a moment, it’s pretty amazing.

 

Ingredients:

Potato Foam

  • Water for boiling
  • 500g potatoes
  • 200g cooking water
  • 300g heavy cream
  • Salt to taste
  • Nutmeg to taste
  • Pepper to taste

 

Low-Temperature Egg

  • 4 eggs

 

Confit Cod

  • 200g Skrei cod
  • 100g olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 10 peppercorns

 

Garnishes

  • 300g round green beans
  • 70g serrano ham

 

Potato Foam

  1. Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks. Boil them until tender.
  2. Once boiled, transfer the potatoes to a blender and add the remaining ingredients.
  3. Blend until smooth.
  4. Strain the mixture through a sieve.
  5. Pour the cream into a siphon and charge with 2 N20 cartridges.
  6. Keep the siphon warm in a water bath at around 50°C.

 

Low-Temperature Egg

  1. Preheat a sous-vide machine or steam oven to 64°C.
  2. Place the eggs in the water bath and cook for 40 minutes.
  3. Once cooked, cool the eggs in an ice bath.
  4. Lower the sous-vide temperature to 50°C and return the eggs to the water bath until serving.

 

Confit Cod

  1. Place the cod in a pan with olive oil, garlic, and peppercorns.
  2. Confit at 120°C for 10-15 minutes or until the cod flakes apart easily.

 

Serrano Ham Crumbs

  1. Place the serrano ham on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
  2. Bake at 120°C for 1 hour or until crispy.
  3. Remove from the oven and crush into crumbs.

 

Blanched Green Beans

  1. Slice the green beans into thin rounds.
  2. Boil for 2 minutes just before serving.

 

Plating

  1. Arrange a few cod flakes on each plate.
  2. Cover the cod with the potato foam.
  3. Break each egg into a bowl, then gently place it in the center of the potato foam using a spoon.
  4. Scatter the blanched green beans over the potato foam.
  5. Sprinkle the serrano ham crumbs on top.
  6. (Optional) Grate black truffle over the egg.
  7. Serve immediately.