Recipe: Slow Poached Egg Salad with Assorted Mushrooms

So I came back from school today, hungry and tired, as always, and realized that I had 3 magical Onsen Tamagos waiting for me in the fridge. I decided to explore what was in my fridge and see what creations I could make with these eggs. I found a huge bag of baby arugula and a box of mushrooms, so I thought about creating a salad with my slow poached egg.

To me, a good salad is extremely satisfying. A good salad has two characteristics: fresh ingredients, and good seasoning, meaning that the salad is not over-dressed.

I started sauteing some baby Portobellos and Crimini Brown Mushrooms on high heat with a tad of butter and garlic.

Arugula is a great choice of greens for salad. It has a crispness and an aromatic punch that is great for salads with strong dressings. Make sure to dry the Arugula thoroughly after washing, as wet arugula gets soggy and not very crisp.

The salad dressing consists of Dijon Mustard, Balsamic Vinegar, and Canola Oil. Using Extra Virgin Olive Oil is not preferred, as Extra Virgin Olive Oil is too strong and aromatic for the salad. Using a common oil like grapeseed oil or canola oil is good.

When mixing the salad, put the greens inside a large container or pot. Add a couple dollops of the dressing and mix with the tongs to evenly distribute the dressing. Be sure not to add too much dressing. When removing salad from the pot/bowl, there should be no remaining salad dressing at the bottom of the container.

The sauteed mushrooms go on top of the salad.

Wow what an egg! the Onsen Tamago came out perfectly, soft, creamy, and silky smooth.

Just added some goat cheese, and there you go.

The Result: A great salad. Truly spectacular, as the mustard dressing was a great compliment to the crisp arugula. The addition of mushrooms brought a depth and earthiness to the dish. Lastly the Slow Poached Egg truly put the "cherry on the sundae." When mixing the egg with the entire salad, the amalgamation of the earthy mushrooms, the sharp arugula, and the rich mellow Dijon Mustard dressing was truly incredible. If there was one flaw, it was the goat cheese. The cheese was not a bad addition, but neither was it a good addition. Chunks of goat cheese occasionally overpowered my palate with the delicate egg and mushrooms. Maybe next time, adding garlic croutons instead of cheese would be better for this salad.

*NOTE: I was experimenting on this recipe, and the recipe is not really accurate, so when I redo this recipe in the near future, I will update this recipe with precise measurements.

Slow Poached Egg Salad with Assorted Mushrooms:

Cooking Time: 15-25 minutes

Ingredients:

- 3 stuffing-size Portobello Mushrooms

- about 6 Crimini Mushrooms

- 1 clove of garlic

- a big handful of Arugula

- 1 slow poached egg (see previous recipe)

- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

- equal parts canola oil and Balsamic Vinegar

- goat cheese (Chevre from Trader Joes)

Sautee Criminis and Portobello mushrooms on a hot frying pan with canola oil and garlic. Other assortment of mushrooms would work as well, such as Shiitakes, Chanterelles, Eringis, Hen of the Wood, etc. Add salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms become tender.

Add dijon mustard with oil and vinegar. Whisk. Taste test. If dressing requires more sweetness, add more balsamic vinegar. The color of the dressing should be similar to that of smooth peanut butter.

Put a handful of washed and paper-towel-dried arugula inside a big pot. Add about 4-6 dollops of dressing to the arugula. Mix salad with either hands or with tongs. Taste test. If there is too much dressing on arugula, add more arugula. Add more dressing if needed.

*NOTE: when transferring arugula from pot to plate, there should be no remaining excess dressing at the bottom of the pot. If there is, add more arugula to pot.

Plate the arugula. Add mushrooms on top of the arugula.

Crack open the slow poached egg inside a small bowl. Remove uncooked runny egg white and add poached egg on top of the salad.

Add crumbled goat cheese (which was a mistake so don't do it, instead add some garlic croutons or something with texture. That would be better!)