Slow Cooked Eggs with Crispy Prosciutto and Asparagus

Serves 2

These do take an hour to cook, so why bother I hear you ask?  Because the result is the most perfect poached egg you will ever eat.  Intrigued?  You just need to try it.  The texture is dreamy - soft and silky white and a velvety creamy yolk.  

Served with some crispy salty prosciutto and some greens on the side,  these slow cooked eggs are a lovely indulgent way to start a Sunday morning. 

What's in it?

4 XL eggs (approximately 59g each)
100g packet of proscuitto, fat trimmed
Bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
2 x 40g slices sourdough bread

How do I make it?

1. Fill TM bowl with approximately 2L of water.  Carefully place eggs in TM basket and place in bowl.  Cook for approximately 6 to 8 mins / 60°C / speed 3 until water temperature reaches 60°C.  Reduce the speed to 2 or between 2 to 3 if eggs are spinning around in the basket.

2. Reset TM and cook 60 mins / 60°C / speed 2 to 3.

3.  Meanwhile, place trimmed prosciutto on a baking tray lined with baking paper and asparagus in Varoma tray.

4. When eggs are finished cooking, remove basket from TM bowl with spatula and set aside while you complete steps 5 and 6. 

5. Place prosciutto under a hot grill until starting to crisp, approximately 4 to 5 mins. 

6. Remove all but approximately half a litre of water from TM bowl and re-set for 3 to 4 mins / varoma / speed 3 until water temperature has reached Varoma.  At that stage, place Varoma tray, covered, on bowl lid to steam asaragus for 2 mins / varoma / speed 3.

7. When all steps are complete, carefully crack eggs onto a plate.  The eggs should simply slide intact out of their shells like a perfect poached egg.  It is normal for there to be a little bit of watery egg white come out too, which can be discarded when serving.

8. Using a spoon, place eggs one by one on top of toasted sourdough topped with prosciutto and serve with asapargus on the side and some freshly cracked black pepper. 

9 ProPoints per serve.

Notes: 

This method for cooking slow cooked eggs is drawn from the recipe for "Sous Vide Eggs (The Ultimate Egg)" on the Recipe Community website, at http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/sous-vide-eggs-ultimate-egg/60825.  There are some great troubleshooting tips in this recipe for anyone who is not getting a perfect result with the 60 mins at 60°C method.  Keep in mind that if your eggs are smaller or larger than 59g, the required cook time may vary.