- 5 weeks ago
Chef Sébastien Baud, Chef de Cuisine at the French Consulate in New York, breaks down 13 essential French egg recipes all chefs must master–from soft-boiled eggs and oeufs en cocotte to the perfect French omelette, and poached eggs in aspic. Trained in classic culinary school tradition, he demonstrates how to master texture, timing, and temperature to transform one simple ingredient into iconic French dishes.
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00:00I'm Sébastien Beau, chef de cuisine at the French Consulate in New York.
00:06Today I'm going to demonstrate every French egg cooking technique,
00:10from easiest to hardest.
00:13All students training to be chefs in France must master these techniques as part of their training.
00:20Through the egg is a sample ingredient, it can be transformed dozens of different ways,
00:25each with his own unique and fascinating texture.
00:301.
00:34Oeuf à la coque, eggs cooked and served in their shells.
00:39I start with boiling by placing room temperature eggs into a pan of boiling water.
00:45Submerging cold eggs straight from the refrigerator into boiling water
00:50will cause their shells to crack due to thermal shock.
00:54The shell can expand unevenly and crack if it heats too fast.
00:59For this dish, I cooked the egg for only 4 minutes to achieve a soft boiled texture.
01:06Oeuf à la coque are so soft that they cannot be peeled without breaking.
01:10So they must be eaten in their shells.
01:14To serve, I cut the top off and serve with a small spoon and strips of baguette for dipping.
01:21These are called mouillettes or soldiers in English.
01:26The result is a just-set white with a yolk that is liquid, custardy, rich and glossy.
01:34Oeufs on cocotte, eggs cooked in the oven in small pots called cocottes, topped with a reduction of cream.
01:42A very simple technique, even for beginners.
01:45These ramekins have been buttered inside, seasoned with salt and pepper.
01:54And before the oven, I fill a sheet tray with water that will slowly heat the dishes and cook the
02:01eggs gently.
02:02This is called a bain-marie.
02:04Cooking them in this water bath prevents them from burning or overcooking, making this technique very foolproof.
02:14Oeufs on cocotte can be served with many different additions like mushrooms or bacon.
02:20But the simplest is a reduction of heavy cream.
02:23That is heavy cream that's been cooked done to thicken the texture and intensify the flavor.
02:29With the heavy cream, it just is making the dish very tender.
02:36Omelette paysanne, country style flat omelette.
02:41This is not the classic French omelette, but a much simpler relative with rustic filling, almost like a frittata.
02:50A little bit of salt.
02:54I beat the eggs and heat all butter in a small frying pan.
02:59It's okay if the butter browns in this dish.
03:03Again, this is not the classic French omelette.
03:06When the filling is cooked, we add eggs and cook until they are just set on the bottom.
03:13The dish is finished under a salamander, a very high heat broiler, until cooked through.
03:20This dish can be served mostly in France during lunch.
03:24I will say in France, people don't really have eggs for breakfast.
03:31and cook the eggs for breakfast.
03:32In English, these are called doubled eggs.
03:36It begins with the hard broad eggs, I made earlier.
03:40Now cooked for nine minutes, peeled, cut in half and remove the yolk carefully.
03:46The yolks are only just cooked through with no unsightly gray discoloration.
03:51It must be only yellow.
03:56We chopped the eggs very finely and evenly.
03:59A chopped filling that includes egg whites is more light and complex than just using yolks and mayonnaise.
04:06So I include the white as well.
04:11This dish should only be made with fresh handmade mayonnaise.
04:15This is for food hygiene. The mayonnaise must be consumed during the same day it was conceived.
04:24The finished dish looks like the small yellow flowers of the mimosa.
04:33Eggs florentines.
04:35Les œufs florentines.
04:36In French cuisine, dishes called florentines are served with spinach and are finished with a cheesy Mornay sauce.
04:43I begin by sauteing garlic and soft baby spinach.
04:47I add a few spoons of Mornay sauce.
04:51Just a little bit, not too much.
04:53This is made by adding gruyere and parmesan cheese to a béchamel.
04:58It is rich, creamy and savory.
05:02Saison with pepper and salt and then it's done.
05:06We make a bed for oeuf mole from the spinach with Mornay.
05:11I boil two eggs cooked to medium.
05:15That's six minutes of cook time, leaving the inside still quite soft.
05:22I add more Mornay sauce on top and finish the dish under the salamander until it is hot and bubbling.
05:30It's very creamy, rich and you want to have a second one right after.
05:38Oeuf au plat.
05:39This preparation is not common in Homs.
05:43It is taught in culinary school to demonstrate the distinctions in cooking the whites and the yolks.
05:51We begin by separating the eggs.
05:54We will cook the whites first.
05:56We place them in a flat butter dish that gives this dish its name.
06:01They are cooked in a water bath like the oeuf on cocotte.
06:06And when they are just set, we add the egg yolks on top.
06:11Add drops of balsamic vinegar and finish in the oven.
06:18The whites are evenly set all the way through with no raw parts.
06:24This short bake time sets the egg whites all the way through and leave the yolk just barely cooked but
06:31solidified.
06:33Oeuf parfait.
06:34Perfect soft boiled eggs.
06:37The goal with this technique is to have the egg yolk and the egg white with the same consistency.
06:42sous vide cooking is common now, but it was a technology invented and perfected by French chef in the 1970s.
06:52This immersion circulator heats and circulates the water, maintaining a temperature of exactly 147 degrees Fahrenheit.
07:01I submerged the eggs in the water bath for 40 minutes.
07:05You cook it slowly and evenly through the whole egg.
07:09So when you crack it, everything is the same consistency and temperature.
07:14I cracked the egg into a dish and the result is like a more delicate poached egg, soft and very
07:22shiny.
07:23A modern classic.
07:27Bleeding cakes
07:27Hoeve bouruyée au truff.
07:29Scrambles eggs
07:30with black truffles.
07:31These have been stored with a black truffle.
07:34Just being next to the truffles permeates the eggs with their fragrance.
07:39Eggs can take flavors from other food that have a strong sense.
07:43I crack eggs into a bowl and season.
07:50French combo legs are never cooked over direct heat.
07:54Instead, they are cooked in a bowl over a pot of simmering water.
07:58This causes the protein to set slowly.
08:01With constant stirring, the result is small curds with a creamy texture.
08:06It is a slower process than cooking over direct heat and required constant attention.
08:13When they are almost cooked, we add chopped truffles and finish with chef truffle on top.
08:21Adding truffle to the eggs gives a nice flavor and goes very well together.
08:29Omelette. This is the classic French omelette.
08:32A simple dish but it requires careful timing and skill to achieve the perfect result.
08:38After seasoning with salt and pepper,
08:40I beat the eggs just until mixed.
08:43Beating the eggs too much causes the protein to tighten and squeeze out moisture while cooking,
08:49resulting in rubbery eggs.
08:51The pan must be on low heat to ensure slow cooking.
08:54If there is any browning, the dish will be ruined.
08:58That is why I use clarified butter.
09:00The milk solids have been removed, leaving only the fat, which will not brown.
09:10The egg is cooked so it is only barely set.
09:14And then I roll it carefully using the spatula to guide it.
09:18And then tilt the pan to fold it over onto itself.
09:24The final shape should look like an American football.
09:28The interior is just cooked and the outside is pale and smooth.
09:32I finish it by brushing it with butter to make it shine.
09:39Il flottant, floating island or snow eggs.
09:43It is an old-fashioned desert that transforms the eggs into a cloud-like texture.
09:49We begin by making a meringue.
09:51It is very important to start with room temperature egg white for a fluffy, stable meringue.
09:57I add sugar of several parts and continue to whisk until a meringue is formed.
10:04At a higher temperature,
10:07the protein denature more easily and bond together to trap more hair.
10:12Extremely fresh eggs have a tight protein structure and may be difficult to whip.
10:17Traditionally, eggs are left out for at least two days before they are used for meringue.
10:24After mixing, the meringue should hold its shape,
10:27but it should not be too stiff.
10:30This is the beginning,
10:32but now we cook the meringue.
10:34First, I use two spoons to form the meringue into canals.
10:38You will see this shape in many other classic French dishes.
10:47We push the eggs gently in water for a few minutes.
10:54Turning them over frequently so that each side is cooked evenly.
10:59The gentle heat develops a soft, pullowy texture while also locking in the dish's cloud-like shape.
11:08The texture becomes like a marshmallow or a cotton candy.
11:13I made crème anglaise in advance with milk, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla.
11:18If the dish is called floating island, this makes up the ocean.
11:23The dish is fluffy, gentle, clean and comforting.
11:28Soufflé au fromage.
11:30A classic savory dish that will puff off dramatically in the oven.
11:34If you make it correctly.
11:36A successful soufflé requires carefully handling of ingredients.
11:42And perfect timing.
11:43It must be cooked precisely and served immediately for full effect.
11:48I begin by whisking egg whites.
11:50Whisking at low speed creates small uniform bubbles,
11:54giving more stability that will prevent the soufflé from quickly collapsing.
12:02Once again, I use Mornay sauce as the base.
12:06You must fold the base very gently with the egg white to avoid popping the bubbles and losing aeration.
12:14The mixture does not have to be completely smooth.
12:18We pour the mixture into the buttered soufflé dish.
12:21The stress sides will help the soufflé rise up.
12:24In the heat of the oven, the egg whites solidify.
12:28The moisture converts to steam and air bubbles expand, causing the soufflé to rise.
12:33Once you take it out, it must be served immediately, before the air bubbles deflate and the soufflé falls.
12:43The
12:44Oeuf Armorette
12:45Eggs poached in red wine.
12:47This is a dish from Burgundy.
12:50It is so overt, that each year that region hosts a championship in which chefs compete to create the best
12:58version of the dish.
12:59This is the version taught in culinary schools, and it requires skill to execute every element correctly.
13:06It begins by poaching eggs directly in the red wine sauce, made with onions and lardons of bacon.
13:14This is called sauce Meurette, and it is similar to sauce bourguignon.
13:20Poaching eggs is already a delicate technique, but it's made more difficult since you can't see into the sauce.
13:28The color change is striking, but the eggs also absorb the wine's fruity, complex flavors.
13:35They are ready when the white is solid and the yolk is still creamy.
13:40The poached eggs are served on top of toasted buttered bread.
13:47And covered with their sauce.
13:50Wow, that's a delicious sauce, with the bacon, the onions, the garlic.
13:55An explosion of flavors.
13:58Oeuf en gelé.
14:00Our last dish, and the most challenging, is a traditional dish of poached eggs in Aspic.
14:05All its elements together take several days to prepare and assemble.
14:10And the dish is a test of many different skills.
14:14First, I prepare the decoration.
14:16These are blanch leeks and papers.
14:19All French culinary school students are taught to cut these decorative designs.
14:25That's how you practice, by doing this easy shape.
14:29So it's always the same, that's the classic one.
14:31But then after, when you grow up, I will say in this business, and you have more skills you can
14:37do.
14:38I see people do crazy things, you know.
14:41The stock has been made in advance.
14:44This alone takes many hours.
14:46It must be cooked, cooled, and clarified to capture any impurities, so the final result is clear.
14:54And it must have enough gelatin to set firmly around the egg.
14:59I pour just a few milliliters of liquid to set the design in place.
15:06When he has set, I add a strip of ham around the sides of the dish.
15:11It must stay perfectly upright.
15:14I add the poached egg.
15:17And pour some more jelly to set it in place.
15:22After several hours, the jelly will be set.
15:25To serve, I create another decoration for the plate.
15:29I chop up some of the solidified stock.
15:33The final step is to unmold the eggs in hot water, aiming to keep the shape perfectly intact.
15:41Always an anxious moment.
15:46And voila!
15:49Oeuf en gelée.
15:50Our most complex dish today.
15:54One simple ingredient.
15:56Many different preparations.
15:59These techniques represent one of the foundations of French cuisine.
16:04Mastering them will allow a chef to create hundreds or even a thousand more dishes.
16:10Bon appétit!
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