It’s a well-known fact that brunch is catnip for the worst kind of foodies. Sure it’s an unpopular opinion in a city like Toronto, but I really believe it to be true. Part of the reason for this is the type of people the meal (or the culture around it) invites, but equally important is the fact that you can replicate most of the things on the menu at home. With that in mind, I decided to treat Isabel to a little bit of brunch this morning.

I was partially spurred on by an article I read this week on Serious Eats which advertised a “fool-proof” way to poach eggs. It’s worth a read, but the crux of the argument was a Heston Blumenthal technique that involved straining the raw egg – to remove excess, runny whites – prior to the quick poaching. I’m happy to say that the technique worked like a charm, and the result was probably the most perfect poached egg I have ever made.

I served the eggs over some blanched and chilled haricot vert, tossed in a bacon-mustard vinaigrette. Recipe Below:

______________

Ingredients:

• Green beans, washed and trimmed
• Bacon cut into lardons
• Rice wine vinegar
• Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Place the beans in boiling water and cook for approximately 4 minutes. Be sure to watch them, because any longer and they will be overcooked and rubbery.

2. Shock the beans in ice-cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

3. Fry off the bacon lardons until crisp. Remove from the frying pan and reserve the leftover grease.

4. The flavorful liquid fat from the bacon will act as the oil in the vinaigrette. Mix with the rice wine vinegar using typical dressing best practices. Add a quarter tsp of mustard to help emulsify the works.

5. Toss the chilled beans with the vinaigrette. Top with a perfectly poached egg and crown the works with the crispy bacon.