Heather * Sous Vide Tempura Fried Egg Yolks

When Heather mentioned she would be using her sous vide cooker to make tempura fried egg yolks, I was admittedly skeptical. For one, it seemed a little strange. I’ve had many a fried egg — but a fried egg yolk? Not so much. Also, sous vide didn’t seem to me a particularly sexy style of cooking. Not that sexiness is a prerequisite in my kitchen, but there are certain things I enjoy: the tactical feel of food, the ability to improvise as I go along, the spontaneity of throwing together a meal. Sous vide cooking, in contrast, requires careful planning and a somewhat scientific approach to preparation.

Heather

The term ‘sous vide,’ which is French for ‘under vacuum,’ is a rather apt descriptor of the process: food is sealed in an airtight plastic bag, submerged in a water bath and cooked at a precise temperature, sometimes for a very long time – 72 hours is not unusual for a tough piece of meat, for example.  Food can never be over-cooked, because it can never reach a temperature hotter than the one you’ve set for it. Moreover, because the food is cooked in vacuum-sealed packaging, none of the natural juices and flavor are lost in the process. Despite these benefits, I still wasn’t quite sold on the machine.

But then, as Heather and I got to cooking, something truly magical took place. A dozen humble eggs voyaged deep into the depths of that silver sous vide cooker, and a mere half hour later, re-emerged as something different entirely. You couldn’t tell at first, but underneath their shells, the eggs had morphed into shining little works of art. As the whites transformed into velvety custard — smooth and silky — the yolks grew thick, rich and buttery. But we weren’t stopping there…

Three small bowls were placed on the counter. The first one contained a mixture of flour, cayenne and smoked paprika; the second, a beaten egg; and the third, a bed of panko (a type of bread-crumb commonly used in Japanese cuisine). After gently removing the whites, Heather ran each yolk through the flour, dipped it in the beaten egg, and then dredged it in delicate flakes of panko.

Finally, the yolks were fried until golden, then plated atop swirls of spiced crema — a combination of paprika, cayenne, crème fraîche and aioli.

And at that point, I was forced to re-evaluate my stance on the sous vide. To my surprise, the eggs weren’t strange at all. Exotic maybe, but also delicious, decadent and yes — sexy! These were some sexy eggs — on the one hand, crunchy, spicy, salty, and on the other, subtle, soft, gooey.

Although the eggs would make a fantastic contribution to a dinner party, these are not every-day eggs, nor are they trying to be. Likewise, sous vide cooking isn’t suited for everyone. Because the device does run on the expensive side, and the technique is so precise, it likely won’t appeal to the casual homecook. However, for those of you who, like Heather, appreciate the finer details of cooking and take joy in crafting beautiful, more elaborate dishes, sous vide can give you truly great results.

Three Quick Questions…and Heather’s Answers

It’s your last meal. What do you have?

I’d have something really homey, like polenta with sautéed mushrooms, a slow-poached egg and a little drizzle of truffle oil.

Your kitchen is burning down. What’s the one thing you grab?

I like my sous vide a lot — I sometimes call it my precious. But I’d probably grab my knife block. My sister used to date a chef and he gradually built up my chef’s knife collection. Then she dumped him without really thinking of how it would affect my collection! (laughs) But they’re really great, so I think I’d probably grab those.

Do you have a favorite cookbook?

Probably the Momofuku cookbook by David Chang. Some of the recipes are pretty involved, but the rest of it is really manageable. And it’s a funny cookbook, just filled with epithets. He writes just like he talks, and it’s fun to read the story behind how the recipes came about.