Name: Vegetable Ragu with Farm Egg & Consommé
Yield: makes 4

Topping Rose House

Tom Colicchio and chef de cuisine Ty Kotz at Topping Rose Kitchen in the Hamptons share a recipe from their kitchen.

makes 4

for the eggs

4 of the best quality farm eggs you can find

for the bread

1 baguette, cut into ¼ inch thick pieces on a bias so they are at a long angle

1 clove garlic

for the vegetables

2 small tomatoes, diced

8 baby carrots, peeled and cut into small rounds

1/2 cup green “fresh” chickpeas, removed from pod

2 baby leeks, washed and cut across into thin rounds

1/2 cup English peas, peeled

10 snow peas, cleaned and cut in half

10 sugar snap peas, clean, take off string

10 spears of asparagus, washed, peeled and cut into 1 inch lengths

for the consommé

2 quarts of good quality chicken stock (preferably homemade), put in a pot to simmer, reduced in volume by half and set aside to cool

4 egg whites

1 stick celery

1 large carrot, peeled

1 onion, rough cut into chunks

1 teaspoon tomato paste

5 basil leaves

10 sprigs tarragon

1. For the eggs: In a small pot big enough for one egg at a time, add 3 inches of water and a dash of white vinegar. Bring to a simmer. First, rack each egg into its own small bowl. Slide one egg at a time from the small bowl into the simmering water, do in batches of one egg each time. Let simmer until egg is soft poached about 1 minute. As eggs finish, keep them in a warm spot on the stove in a small bowl. You can rewarm them in a little consommé before you plate.

2. For the toast: Grill the bread. Rub with a peeled garlic clove.

3. For the vegetables: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water heavily. Set up a large bowl full of ice water. Individually boil each type of the vegetable till tender, remove from pot and shock in ice water till completely cool. Keep all vegetables separate until ready to use.

4. For the consommé: Whisk the egg whites in a metal bowl until they form medium peaks. Set aside. In a food processor, pulse the carrots, celery and onions until they are chopped but not puréed. Fold the vegetables and tomato paste into the egg whites. In a pot, add mixture to cooled reduced stock and stir to mix together. Turn on pot and bring to a simmer. All ingredients will float to the top to form a “raft”. As soon as pot simmers turn it down to its lowest setting on the burner and let sit for 45 minutes. Simmer very slowly. Set up a strainer lined with cheesecloth or clean dish towel, add the tarragon and basil leaves to this setup. As you ladle the liquid over the herbs it will make the consommé aromatic. Slowly ladle liquid into the strainer, being very careful not to agitate the raft. Season liquid as needed with salt.

5. To plate the dish: Heat all vegetables and consommé in a small pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Separately reheat the eggs in a little hot broth. Start by placing the vegetables in the serving bowl, enough for 1 serving each. Top each with the egg. Add sea salt and black pepper on the egg as garnish. Serve the toast on the side.

Originally featured in Hyperlocal Restaurants & Recipes