Friday, May 1, 2009

Asparagus, Poached Egg, Prosciutto, and Fontina Cheese Sandwich

Asparagus, Poached Egg, Prosciutto, and Fontina Cheese Sandwich


Yesterday's bread became today's sandwich. Doesn't it look delicious? It really was. Asparagus seems to be my vegetable of choice these days so when I came across this recipe is wasn't a question of how, but when. As I mentioned, I am going to be doing a bit more budget cooking in the next few weeks and you may see less posts, but one of the keys to keeping me going is my well-stocked pantry. I emptied out my freezer a bit, but I still had a package of prosciutto and since I always have things like eggs on hand, this didn't break the bank too much. Besides, anything to give a chance to practice my poaching skills is welcomed! I found the directions to be a little strange, but took the basic components and broke it down to what I have below. I actually liked that the cheese didn't cover the whole sandwich. The poached egg was really good with the slight garlicky flavor on the toast and there was just enough salty prosciutto to bring it all together. In the interest of saving a few calories and fat grams, I didn't drizzle the sandwich with extra oil, but I didn't feel that I missed anything. This would be an excellent addition to your weekend brunch.


Asparagus, Poached Egg, Prosciutto, and Fontina Cheese Sandwich
(Adapted from Nancy Silverton)

Makes 1 sandwich

4 stalks large asparagus, tough ends broken off
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 slice honey wheat bread (or whatever bread you have, the original recipe calls for sourdough)
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 large egg
3 ounces Fontina or Gruyere cheese, sliced into 4 1/8-inch-thick slices
1 slice prosciutto
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and lay down the thyme sprigs. Toss the asparagus with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast 10-15 until tender, but still firm.

Rub one side of the bread with the garlic clove, and toast until lightly golden. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler

Arrange the asparagus over each slice of bread and place on a baking sheet.

In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Turn the heat down to just below a simmer and add the vinegar and a pinch of salt. Crack an egg into a small bowl to check that the yolk isn’t broken. Slowly stir the water in one direction to create a whirlpool effect. Once the whirlpool has slowed down a little, carefully slide the egg into the water against the side of the pan, following the current of the water as you pour the egg in, so that the white envelops the yolk. Poach the egg for 2 to 2½ minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are runny. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon to a plate to drain. Cupping the eggs in your hand, tip the plate to pour off the excess water.

Place the egg centered over the asparagus. Drape a slice of Fontina cheese over each egg, and heat the sandwiches under the broiler for a minute or so, just until the cheese is melted.

Remove the sandwiches from the oven, and crumble the prosciutto over the sandwich. Drizzle a little olive oil over, sprinkle with pepper, and place a thyme sprig on each sandwich if desired.

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23 comments:

angela@spinachtiger said...

I love poached eggs, and they are a natural with asparagus. In Italy in nice restaurants, they serve asparagus with a poached egg. And your bread looks good. I totally understand the "budget" thing, which is why I"m making a lot more home-made pastas in my posting. And, there's a lot we can do with vegetables from the farmer's markets. Look forward to seeing what else you do.

Anonymous said...

That bread totally did it's job! The fontina is so good on that sandwich. Nice cheese selection for proscuitto.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

What a delight. What a great idea to pair a delicious egg with asparagus.

Erica said...

This looks so gorgeous, I wouldn't want to eat it (but I def would haha). I love all of the ingredients!

Diana said...

I still need to try my hand at poaching an egg! I was so surprised the first time I read how to do it -- I never realized it involved vinegar!

Anyway, I'm totally cheering for you with this budget cooking -- I'm going to try and follow your lead and do the same!

Marta said...

I like putting a poached egg in my asparagus soup, the creaminess just takes it to the next level! This sandwich looks awesome!

Reeni said...

This is heavenly, especially with home-made bread! Delicious!

vanillasugarblog said...

oh yes indeed it is gorgeous and delish! but then again everything you create is.
have a good weekend sweetie!

Kerstin said...

Beautiful, and perfect for spring with that yummy asparagus!

daxphillips said...

Not only does this look like a healthy lunch, but a tasty one at that. A poached egg, plus fontina cheese? Who could go wrong...

Kathy - Panini Happy said...

That looks so beautiful, Esi! At the risk of sounding overly poetic, the prosciutto almost looks like rose petals, especially with the thyme. Ahhh...

Christina Kim said...

Esi, beautiful! The concept is brilliant, the flavor combo is great, and who doesn't like a nice poached egg? I am impressed. This is my kind of sandwich.

Juliana said...

Wow, I feel like having this dish for breakfast. Looks totally yummie.

Heather said...

you make the most beautiful poached egg dishes!

Pearl said...

what a very cool sandwich! i love the asparagus :)

Melissa @ For the Love of Health said...

wow- that looks amazing!! Your pictures are spectacular!

Esi said...

Thank you, thank you everyone!!! This was such a delicious sandwich and really easy to make. Hope you all get a chance to try it.

Alicia Foodycat said...

I eat asparagus for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the 8 weeks it is in season - yum! That's the prettiest proscuitto I have seen too, I thought it was that Japanese pickled ginger for a minute!

Unknown said...

oh my golly, this looks absolutely GORGEOUS! and sounds tasty to boot! oh my, do i need to get saving...

Creative Classroom Core said...

This looks like something they would serve at a fancy spa. So pretty and amazing! Love the addition of asparagus :)

Evan said...

OMG WOMAN!!! That's all I have to say about that... ;)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this recipe! I used it as part of a menu I had to put together for a class project. I made a few modifications on the measurements to meet my requirements and cooked the prosciutto crispy, but otherwise it was simply perfect as-is! You can see my photos and changes at http://www.eat-play-live.com/2009/05/delicious-school-project.html.

Andrea said...

Yum Esi! This looks like one killer sandwich. I tend to skip extra oil drizzling as well, unless it's a very special occasion ;-)