Coconut Poached Eggs

Update: A reader asked a great question about chemicals from plastic wrap leaching into food! I responded in the comments, but I would like to note – this novel egg poaching technique is best saved for those times when you need to impress a mother-in-law or an obscenely rich relative who is in extremely poor health and hasn’t yet named an heir.
 
All right, I’m finishing up my labor of love – the Weston A. Price + Paleo Post – as well as rounding out my goal-setting for 2011. So as not to leave you hanging – as I know each of my readers (Hey mom! Hey Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver Dexter McCluster!) wait every day with bated breath for my next post – here’s a little imperfect Egg-speriment (ha! See what I did there?) for you to perfect in your own kitchen.
But before we proceed, Dexter has a very serious message for you:

A timely message for tonight’s NYE celebrators.
Onto the true message of my post. Two of my favorite things together – eggs and coconut. For these poached eggs, I used a technique that will soon appear at Steve’s Original as part of my multi-pronged egg poaching attack. This method, shared with me by my wonderful Grandmother, makes cute, round little poached eggs.
What you need:
A few eggs for poaching
A big blob of coconut oil, melted in a skillet (you’re going to fry the egg for a moment after poaching)
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup shredded leftover turkey from the holiday celebration from which you’re suffering withdrawals.
Egg Poaching Method:

1. Crack the egg(s) into about 10 inches of plastic wrap, placed over the mouth of the small cups (see photo).
2. Bring the sides of the plastic wrap together and loosely twist the extra wrap together, forming a baggie around the egg(s). Leave a little air.
3. Once water is boiling, reduce to a simmer and place egg-baggie(s) in the water, allowing the excess wrap to remain outside the water. Place the lid on top of the wrap to keep them in place while the eggs cook.
4. Turn off heat and allow eggs to cook for approximately 3 minutes, depending on yolk preference. (Less time = more runny yolk)
5. Remove baggies and carefully pull the plastic wrap away from the egg(s). Do this delicately so the little poached egg doesn’t tear. Boom. A little round cutie.
6. Drizzle some coconut oil over the eggs and roll in coconut. It won’t stick perfectly, but that’s not the end of the world. Anthropological data shows that Cavepeople did not experience elevated cortisol as a result of imperfect coconut coating.
7. Add the coconutty egg to the pre-heated skillet and fry for a few seconds on each side so the coconut browns. Some will fall right off. This should not ruin your day, because…

8. Now you’re going to add the shredded turkey to the skillet to pick up all that extra coconut and coconut oil. Brown briefly and add to the plate.

Serve with a cute little cup of coffee with coconut milk.

I love you too.
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10 Responses

  1. Great idea, but does the plastic chemicals leach into the egg? I know that you should cook in plastic in the microwave.

    1. This is a great question! I try to minimize my use of vinyl-based plastic wrap like Saran because there IS evidence of chemical leeching with or without heat application. Poly-based wrap is less risky (Glad Wrap is an example). This poaching technique (and I may edit the post to specify) is a novelty technique – one for use in impressing the mother-in-law, for example. In a risk management context, looking at my overall lifestyle, I feel comfortable making this choice once in awhile, but it’s worth noting that most restaurants use techniques like this!
      Here is a quick overview of how wraps are evaluated for “safety.” We know, however, that levels deemed “safe” by the government are not necessarily “safe” at all!
      http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0706a.shtml
      I try to limit techniques like this, as well as use of carry-out cups, the microwave, and nonstick pans, but there are times when novelty and convenience win out!

        1. You sure could. That’s almost always what I do. I add some white vinegar to help keep the whites from spreading (as Sue mentioned as well.) This technique is really less relevant than the recipe itself!

  2. I’m echoing the warning the dangers of cooking in plastic wrap. I know this is a popular cooking method on Girl/Boy Scout camping trips, but its not good for you. If you want to keep your egg together while poaching, add a couple drops of white vinegar to your poaching water and make sure the water barely bubbles. The vinegar will keep your egg in shape. Otherwise – good idea.

    1. Thanks Sue! This is an old post – almost a year old – and I’ve only used this technique once. It makes such lovely little egg orbs, though…and if you ever eat at a restaurant where your eggs look like perfect little balls, it’s worth checking whether they use this technique!

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