Watercress With A Fried Egg And Black Sesame Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Place eggs in single layer in large saucepan. Pour enough water over eggs to cover by 1 1/2 inches. Add 2 tablespoons coarse salt and bring to boil over high heat. Remove from heat; cover saucepan tightly and let stand 8 minutes. Drain. Return eggs to pan; cover with lid and shake pan to crack egg shells. Place eggs in large bowl of ice water and cool 5 minutes. Peel eggs and set aside.
• Place garlic in small ramekin; pour 2 tablespoons boiling water over and let stand 2 minutes. Transfer garlic with garlic liquid to blender. Add watercress, parsley, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. With blender running, add olive oil in thin stream and blend until mixture is smooth. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. do ahead Eggs and watercress-parsley sauce can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and chill. Bring sauce to room temperature before using.
• Cut eggs lengthwise into halves or quarters. If desired, cut off very thin slice from rounded side of each half or quarter so that eggs can stand upright. Arrange eggs on platter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Spoon watercress-parsley sauce over and around eggs and serve.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the lime juice, a big pinch of salt, and the oil with a fork or a whisk. Add the watercress and toss gently to lightly coat. Divide the dressed watercress among four salad plates and set aside.
• Heat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet that you like to use for eggs over medium-high heat. When it is hot, swirl a small amount of vegetable oil in the pan and crack in the eggs, in batches if necessary. When the edges of the eggs are a bit crispy, the whites are completely set, and the yolks are still runny, transfer an egg to each plate so that it slightly overlaps the watercress. Season the eggs with salt, and drizzle about a tablespoon of the sesame sauce over each portion.
• Toast the sesame seeds in a small sauté pan over medium heat, tossing frequently, until the seeds become fragrant and begin to pop. Transfer them to a plate and let them cool completely. Grind in 10-second increments in a spice mill or clean coffee grinder to a very fine paste, stirring the mixture, then grinding again, and repeating this process until the paste is completely smooth and glistening from the oil that has been released. This will take 3 to 5 minutes. (If the seeds are not ground into a very smooth paste, the sauce will be gray rather than deep black.) Transfer the paste to a small bowl, add the salt, and gradually whisk in the oil, sake, mirin, and dashi until smooth.

Steps:

• Pat tofu dry. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté tofu until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.
• Heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook watercress, turning with tongs, until just wilted. Stir in sesame seeds. Transfer watercress to a platter and arrange tofu on top.
• Simmer remaining ingredients in skillet 1 minute and drizzle sauce over tofu.

Steps:

• Smear the skin of the cod with the butter and season with sea salt. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan. When very hot add the cod, skin side down, and fry, without moving the fish, until the skin is crisp and golden. Invert on to a shallow ovenproof dish, ready to finish it off in the oven.
• Put the cherry tomatoes in a separate shallow ovenproof dish and drizzle with another 1 tbsp oil.
• To make the sauce, cook the shallots and wine in a small pan for about 2-3 minutes until the wine has almost gone. Tip into a food processor with the crème fraîche and watercress, season with salt and pepper and blitz. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste, return to the pan and set aside. Lightly whip the cream until it just holds its shape. (At this stage the cod, sauce and cream can be kept in the fridge, lightly covered with cling film, for up to 4 hours.)
• About 20 minutes before you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to fan 170C/conventional 190C/gas 5. Roast the cod and tomatoes for 12-15 minutes until just cooked. Meanwhile, gently reheat the sauce, remove from the heat and fold in the cream. Taste and add more seasoning and lemon juice if necessary. Set the cod on warm dinner plates with the cherry tomatoes and spoonfuls of watercress sauce. Garnish with sprigs of parsley or chervil and serve with buttered new potatoes.