A poached duck egg on whole-wheat English muffin is an excellent breakfast, I found out. It boosted energy with lots of good nutrients. A whole-wheat multi-seed flour  instead of a plain one provided me with precious grams of dietary fiber in addition to complex carbohydrates. You will not find butter in the dough of this simple recipe but just a little olive oil. So I can claim these muffins are lighter compared to the traditional ones. I left much of the fat behind: 70 percent of the saturated fat, to be precise.

This year Waitrose has reported a 72 per cent rise in sales of duck eggs. This is after Jamie Oliver suggested to replace chicken’s egg with duck egg when baking. He said duck eggs lead to better cakes and buns since they are larger than chicken’s eggs. As you can see, Jamie Oliver’s authority in the field is so high that his culinary tips can influence sale trends.

In the posh “Whole Foods” I’ve got half a dozen oddly sized eggs for just £2.20. Sorry Jamie, I did not use them to bake. The yolks are really larger, denser and fuller in flavor. Also higher in fat (good fat, though) than a hen’s egg, I discovered. Not too bad if you consider that they also come with vitamins and minerals, and provide a  protein boost: about 15% of the recommended daily allowance. Jamie, I used them to create these poached eggs on English muffins and I am really happy I’ve start my Sunday with them. Can I get your approval, anyhow?

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Poached Duck Eggs on Whole English Muffin

Servings: 2 big muffins for 2 servings (4 eggs)

Ingredients

  • 4 duck eggs
  • 1 package dry yeast or 1 tablespoon
  • 1 cup multi seed or whole wheat flour plus more as needed
  • 3 tablespoons ricotta or hummus
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil plus olive oil to drizzle
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • small bunch fresh coriander finely chopped (or chives)
  • 10 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon jalapeno peppers optional
  • 6-8 black olives
  • salt to season

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix flour and salt, add warm milk, oil and honey. Stir in the yeast mixture. Mix all the ingredients until the dough will be soft and rather sticky.
  • Put dough in a bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for about one hour.
  • Turn risen dough out onto a work surface dusted with flour and pat or roll to about 1/2" thick. Place on oiled baking sheets.
  • Bake at 220°C for 6-8 minutes or until browned. Remove to wire racks to cool down.
  • Crack the eggs into 4 individual cups. In a pan boil a couple of liters of water and a spoon of vinegar that serves to harden the egg better. Once the water begins to boil, pour the egg gently into the pan, being careful not to break it. Lift from the water with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  • Cut the muffins in half and place the halves on the baking sheet to toast in oven for just a couple of minutes.
  • Let them cool down for a couple of minutes then spread with some ricotta (or hummus) and place an poached egg on top of each muffin half .
  • Season the top of the eggs with salt, tomatoes and black olives. Sprinkle with some finely chopped coriander and drizzle some olive oil. Serve immediately.

 

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