Boursin Benedict

Recipe Courtesy of Elizabeth Dougherty

Here's a quick little recipe that will "wow" your friends. It literally takes less than ten minutes to make.

Ingredients

1 large apple
4 large eggs
2 tsp white vinegar
2 TB butter
4 oz of Shitake mushrooms
2 oz of Boursin cheese with chives (or add 1 TB of fresh chives when you make the sauce)
1 TB flour
1/2 cup of whole milk
2 pinches of sea salt and white pepper
1/4 lb of Prosciutto de Parma
1/2 oz of American caviar
chives for garnish (optional)

Method

Fill a large frying pan with about 2 inches of water. Add vinegar. Place on the stove over high heat until it starts to simmer, then turn down to medium. Crack ONE egg into a cup to make sure yolk is intact and no shell is present. Pour carefully into pan, keeping yolk intact and swirl the white around the yolk with a wooden spoon. Carefully run spoon under egg to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Repeat with other eggs. Simmer for 2 minutes or until white is coagulated. Remove with slotted spoon to a plate. Cover to keep warm.

Using apple corer, core apple. Slice apple across into 4 thick slices, about 3/4" thick. Empty water from frying pan and add 1 TB of butter. Heat over medium high eat. When butter melts add apple slices. Quickly saute about 2 minutes on each side until golden. Remove to the plate with the eggs. Cover.

Remove stems from Shitakes. Slice caps into strips. In the same pan (which should still have butter in it) add mushrooms. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper. Saute over medium high heat for a couple of minutes until they start to turn golden. Remove to the same plate. Cover.

Rinse the pan and wipe it out. Add last TB of butter and the flour. Over medium high heat, stir with wooden spoon until butter melts and a roux forms. Add milk and whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Add cheese and chives (if using). Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning.

For serving, add a slice of apple to the center of each plate. Add a slice of prosciutto mounded on each apple. Add a poached egg on top to each plate. Spoon over a couple tablespoons of sauce. Add a dollop of caviar. Scatter the Shitakes around the plate. Serve.