Breakfast Bruschetta with Poached Egg and Prosciutto di Parma
Serves 2 as a main course.
Ingredients
4 eggs
1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 slices rustic country-style bread, ½-inch thick
1 large clove garlic, peeled
Excellent quality extra virgin olive oil
Kosher or Maldon salt
Pinch of crushed red pepper or pepperoncino
16 thin slices Prosciutto di Parma
Instructions
Fill a small saucepan with 3-inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add the cider vinegar. Place a small sieve over a bowl and one at a time, crack an egg into the sieve not breaking the egg yolk. Let sit 1 minute. Place the egg in a small bowl. Repeat with the remaining 3 eggs until you have all 4 eggs in their own individual bowls.
When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low until it is just barely bubbling. With a slotted spoon, stir the water vigorously to create a vortex. Drop one egg into the center of the vortex and set a timer for 2 minutes 45 seconds. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice water. Repeat with the remaining eggs. After one minute, remove from the ice water and place on paper towels and set aside.
Place the tostapane directly on your gas stove over high heat. Alternately you can place the slices of bread under a broiler, in a toaster or on an outdoor grill. Toast the bread on both sides turning until golden. Rub one side of the toasted bread with the whole clove of garlic. Using a pastry brush, brush the toast liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.
To serve, place 2 pieces of bruschetta next to each other on individual serving plates.
To warm the eggs, place the poached eggs in a bowl and pour boiling water over the eggs. Let sit for 30 seconds until warm. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels. Place one egg on top of each slice of bruschetta. Season the egg with salt and crushed red pepper. Top each plate with curls of prosciutto di Parma and serve immediately.