My name is Hampton and I am addicted to runny yolks. Quietly sneaking out for some late night over-easing, mid-day poaching when my family is right there in the next room… Hell, I’ve even tried to capture some Ybor City street chickens and imprison them in the make-shift hen house in my shed.
I wasn’t always this way. In fact, for most of my life, due to a confluence of convenience and ignorance, I’ve been a scrambled kind-of guy. Scrambled eggs were the first thing I ever learned to cook and for a long time I thought that scrambled was the best way to prepare an egg. But from the moment I broke my first runny yolk and watched that beautiful yellow goodness spilling over my plate, I’ve been hooked.
Elegant in its pure simplicity, the egg itself is a model of culinary perfection. When given the proper respect, the humble egg can be elevated to untold levels of delicious possibilities. Whether soft boiled, poached, or over-easy, runny yolks work have versatility far beyond breakfast and work with more than just toast. They are great over cured meats like prosciutto and Serrano, are fantastic with smoked salmon and can turn simple boiled asparagus into an appetizer worthy of a high-end restaurant.
This article appears in Feb 10-16, 2011.