Surprise Holiday House Guests with Heavenly Bread

The smell of fresh baked bread pressed with cinnamon and a hint of cacao wafts from the kitchen. We can barely wait for the hot babka to cool enough so that we can still melt butter and yet not burn the tongues.

The yeast has done its work, creating airy layers weighted only by cinnamon and chocolate. Sprinkle coarse sea salt on the best butter you can find and slather it atop the sweet, yeasty bread. Tug at the crust of your warm slice and feel the layers effortlessly unravel. The first, warm, sweet, buttery bite will stop time for a moment.

The first time I met a babka was in a Jewish deli in NY called Russ & Daughters where they offer either chocolate or cinnamon varieties. Babka is a sweet, yeast bread that is popular in Eastern European and Jewish bakeries. As I experimented with my own babka formula, I found I liked it best with dark chocolate and cinnamon together. In my particular version I love to use whole wheat flour as the basis for the streusel to add a nutty, coarse texture to the crunchy top.

If you plan to have house guests this holiday, make one of these loaves in the morning and let the smells from your oven awaken them and coax them downstairs.

Chocolate Cinnamon Babka
Yeast Dough
1 1/2 cups warm milk, whole heated to 110 F
2 (1/4 ounce each) packages active dry yeast, Fleishmanns
3/4 cups sugar, plus a healthy pinch of sugar for yeast starter
3 whole large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
6 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for work surface
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature,
1 teaspoon salt
2 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Cinnamon Filling
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature, plus more for bowl and loaf pans
2 pounds 55-62% cacao chocolate, very, very finely chopped (use a Cuisinart to chop ultra fine) not too bitter (red fire would be delicious, banana victoria or really any bar would be great here…) Or omit chocolate and just use cinnamon
2 vanilla beans,
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, Ceylon is using Cassia reduce to 2 Tbsp
3/4 cup sugar

Egg Wash
1 egg
1 Tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk

Streusel Topping
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
¾ cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup oats
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

The most important tip in making a babka is that your eggs are really at room temp, around 70 and not too cold or it can stump the growth of your yeast. The butter needs to be truly at a warm room temperature also along with the milk being at a true 110F. I suggest warming up your house and adjusting your thermometer up a few degrees so it truly is in a warm environment. Yeast is a tricky ingredient. So, let’s get started.

Warm milk in a saucepan when you reach 110F, sprinkle yeast and a healthy pinch of sugar over milk. Allow the mixture to stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 3 eggs, and 2 egg yolks. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture, and whisk to combine. (Reminder: make sure your eggs are not cold to touch but at a balmy room temperature.)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add egg mixture, and beat on low speed until all the flour is incorporated, about 45 seconds. Change to the dough hook. Add 2 sticks butter cut in to tablespoons, and beat on medium-low until flour mixture and butter are completely incorporated, yielding a smooth, soft dough that’s slightly sticky when touched, about 10 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few turns until smooth. Butter a large bowl. Place dough in bowl, and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 -2 hours. Do not pull it out until it truly has doubled in size. (Alternatively, let dough rise in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours; bring to room temperature, 3 to 4 hours, before baking.)

Prepare chocolate cinnamon filling: chop chocolate using a cuisinart, or by chop by hand until very fine. Put the chocolate in a bowl. Cut open two vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape out the seeds, adding them to the bowl. Add sugar, 1-inch pieces of butter and cinnamon. Using your hands, combine all ingredients, creating a soft mixture. Set aside.

Prepare the streusel : In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, oats and butter. Using a fork or pastry cutter, blend until fully combined with clumps varying in size the more variety the better the texture will be when baked.

Generously butter 3, 9″ x 5″ x 2 3/4″ loaf pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Make egg wash by beating remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of cream or milk; set egg wash aside.

Punch back the dough, and transfer to a clean surface. Let rest 5 minutes. Cut into 3 equal pieces. Keep remaining pieces covered with a warm/damp towel while working with other piece. On a generously floured surface, roll dough out into a 16-inch square; it should be 1/8 inch thick. Use flour to smooth out evenly with rolling pin. Brush edges with reserved egg wash.

Take 1/3 of the chocolate filling (reserving 4 tablespoons for center of the babka) and evenly crumble over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Roll dough up like a tightly rolled log. Pinch ends together to seal. Bring ends of log together to form a ring, pinching to seal.

Twist 5 turns. Sprinkle reserved spoons of chocolate filling on right half of the dough then fold left side on top of that and twist 3 more times. This will give you a great marbling effect and it is ok if the dough breaks a bit.

Place twist in your prepared bread pan. Brush top of roll with egg wash. Carefully crumble 1/3 of the streusel on top. Repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of dough and remaining filling.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Loosely cover each pan with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place 20 to 30 minutes.
Bake loaves, rotating halfway through, until golden, about 55 minutes. After the 55 minutes, lower oven temperature to 325 F and continue baking until babkas are deep golden, about 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from oven, and transfer to wire racks until cool. Remove from pans; serve with your favorite butter. You can wrap and freeze if desired.

Another tip: Use a great loaf pan like Rema hot air baking pans.

Gingerbread Black Pearl Semifreddo

There are certain flavors that taste like the holiday season. Warm spices and traditional aromas tickle one’s nostalgia nerves. At Vosges Haut-Chocolat, when creating our limited edition holiday collections, I turned to nutmeg, gingerbread, eggnog, cinnamon and chestnuts along with other doses and spots of this and that.

When entertaining at the holidays, it is always handy to have made-ahead, individually portioned desserts. They can be served at the table or set on a sweets buffet. Semifreddo has long been my favorite creamy, cool dessert. A semifreddo is made with Swiss meringue and whipped cream. Combined and then frozen, the result is nearly cloud-like in its lightness. The cool, soft chocolate cream melts in your mouth delivering the flavors it carries.

It will not surprise you that my semifreddos are always touched with chocolate and a little surprising accoutrement. This version incorporates Black Pearl Bars, which combine dark chocolate with wasabi, ginger and black sesame seeds. To further coax out the warm ginger flavor, I added an extra sprinkle of pulverized ginger.

Any of the exotic candy bar flavors will work, so experiment with your parfum of choice. The Naga bar (sweet Indian curry, coconut and milk chocolate) or the Red Fire Bar (ancho and chipotle chillies with Ceylon cinnamon) would also warm the palate this cozy season.

Gingerbread Black Pearl Semifreddo
6 ounces (2 bars) Black Pearl Bars (or your favorite)
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp ginger powder
2 egg whites
3/4  cup sugar

Directions:
1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl and melt slowly over a double boiler over simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water) and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and just warm. Set aside.
2. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof bowl and place over a pan of low-simmering water. This process of making a meringue is called the Swiss Meringue style.  Whisk continually until the whites are just hot (110-120F) and the sugar is dissolved, about 6-7 minutes.  Be sure all the sugar crystals are melted, otherwise you will have a gritty semifreddo. As you whisk the eggs will get foamy and frothy, Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beat the egg white-sugar mixture with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form and the egg whites are shiny and glossy,  3 to 5 minutes.
3. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, not firm; set aside.
4. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate then gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the mixture, followed by carefully folding in the meringue. Pour the chocolate mixture into individual ramekins. Place in the freezer until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.  Remove 30 minutes before serving to “temper” the semifreddo.

With what will chocolate NOT marry?

This is a question I have been asking myself regularly of late. To me, chocolate is as necessary an accessory to taste as salt. It rounds out flavors, adds depth and rewards the palate with layers of tasting sensation. For me, chocolate is not a matter of if, but a matter of which chocolate will best marry the food I am presently creating.

It is easy to understand how this particular combination works. Sweet, fried plantains wrapped in salty, smoky bacon and drizzled with dark, barely sweet chocolate? All of the flavor profiles are touched and the myriad of textures are represented from liquid to soft to slightly crunchy.

Make this recipe and try just one of the bites before drizzling the dark chocolate over top. Then, drizzle high quality dark chocolate atop your next taste. See? Continue on this path with me and find my understanding. You can no less have a proper kitchen without salt than you can a recipe without chocolate!

When buying plantains, be sure to choose specimens that are almost completely black. Since bananas are a more familiar food, it is hard for most to get used to buying the black-skinned fruits. But, plantains truly must be black to be ripe enough for recipes calling for sweet plantains.

Your bacon choice is also important. I have yet to find a bacon I enjoy more than Nueskes. Whatever you choose, find a smoked option to add flavor. And, a thinner cut of bacon will wrap around the plantains better for this recipe.

Bacon Wrapped Plantains with Dark Chocolate

Chocolate Sauce:
3/4 oz butter, unsalted
3 oz dark chocolate, 62%

Plantains:
2 sweet plantains, completely black and soft
2 oz Butter
1 package Nueskes bacon

Peel plantains and cut in 1/2 thick pieces at a slight angle. In a large sauté pan on medium high heat place your butter to melt. Work in batches and fry the plantain slices in a single layer until they are deep golden brown. About 3 minutes each side. I like to press on the plantains while I cook them to flatten them out slightly. When finished, place on a towel to absorb excess oil.

Wrap each plantain in a piece of bacon and sauté in a large saute pan until the bacon is crispy on both sides.

Make your sauce while crisping your bacon wrapped plantains. Melt your chocolate and butter on the stovetop on very low heat stirring all the while.

Place plantains on a plate and drizzle with chocolate sauce. They are great along aside black beans and rice with jerk rubbed chicken.

Inspiration finds me in a variety of places. Sometimes, it is actually found on non edible piece that drive me to create a recipe.

While meandering in Lexington, Kentucky, one of my favorite cities in the world, I found my way into a haunted, old antique shop that had vintage punch bowls, sterling silver mint julep cups and carved wooden knives. Next to the old football team photo with a line up of lovely, burly gentlemen, I spied a wooden disk haloed in a red, painted edge with a buxom knife.  It is a seemingly simple piece but its unknown history called to me. I imagined it was a hunting marker and that southern farmers used it as a cutting board to fillet their venison.

My instinct was to use the round, weathered board as a serving piece, offering up simple fare to some last minute lunch guests. A few figs and some good cheese were the perfect mates to a bunch of lucky arugula that was dressed in a dark chocolate vinaigrette. Chocolate salad dressing? Yes. Don’t spend time questioning it, refocus your energy on buying the ingredients so you can give it a try.

Chocolate Sherry Vinaigrette

1/4 cup melted dark chocolate
1/4 cup balsamic or sherry vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil ( I used Apollo olive oil Gold Series from California)

Combine oil and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk in dark chocolate. Toss over organic, fresh greens.

Chocolate Enhances an Age Old Traditional Dish

In the past year, I have been seeking out interesting and healthy recipes for my two-year old son. Ground meat is easy for him to eat and also serves as a good vehicle to sneak in all the kale I desire !

From my old Moroccan and Syrian cookbooks, I was inspired to try my hand at kefta. Kefta is a traditional Middle Eastern food made by combining ground meat with an assortment of spices. It is often shaped into cylinders of meat instead of balls. The omnipresent kefta is found on street corners, as appetizers and as the focal point of meals. Each Middle Eastern chef is as likely to adjust and personalize her kefta recipe as an Italian is her bolognese.

I remember when I was in Israel, a peaceful time in March of 2000. I went with this very cheap boyfriend who had a friend that attended the London School of Economics and who then worked for the Palestinean goverment. We stayed with this friend because my boyfriend didn’t want to spring for a hotel.  Anyway… our host was living in Ramlah and my boyfriend was Jewish, so it was a very interesting stay and conversational ping pong.  The point of this journey down memory lane is just to tell you that my first experience with kefta was on the second floor of a romantic, dilapidated Palestinian grill house.   It was by far my most memorable and romantic experience (with the kefta)  in Israel and will forever hold its place as the kefta mecca.

When I began experimenting with my own kefta recipe, it of course wasn’t long until the appropriate chocolate found its way into my mise en place. Along with the Mo’s Bacon Bar, I use cilantro, parsley, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, coriander and smoked salt. The recipe is easily adjusted based on what you have in your pantry.

Serve kefta with a salad and tahini dressing. Pickled purple cabbage would be good with this too. I prefer to toast and grind my spices in a mortar and pestle fresh. You will be rewarded if you take the time! And, if you want to make these for little ones, try chopping in a few leaves of kale cut in a chiffonade and remove the paprika from the recipe.

Chocolate Kefta

2 lb ground lamb
1/4 cup parsley, curly finely chopped
3/4 cup cilantro
2 oz bacon bar, milk grated red fire, organic milk, naga try what you like
1 medium onion, minced (1 1/4 cup)
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp coriander
1/2 tsp smoked salt

Mash all together wearing gloves. Shape into 3 inch long logs about and 2 inches in diameter. Place in refrigerator wrapped until ready to cook. When ready, sprinkle with smoked salt and black pepper. Broil in the oven for 5 minutes or grill a few minutes on each side.

Chocolate Rubbed Ribs

The past days have been gorgeous – Chicago is showing us her grandest moments… blue skies, warm sunlight, colorful gardens, a rustling breeze and the smell of fresh cut grass. As I drive home in the evening with the window down, I often catch a sniff of smokin’, hot wood grills. Chicagoans make the most of summer even if we don’t have a backyard, we have small grills perched on decks, on the sidewalk, at the park or atop a rooftop illegally.

This coming weekend, I’m thinking about making my BBQ Chocolate Ribs. For years, we have had a grumpy UPS driver named Harold who comes, begrudgingly to take away all of our chocolate parcels at Vosges Haut-Chocolat and start them on their journeys to new homes. Every now and again on a lighter day his levity comes out in a jestful joke, “Hey, you need to sell some chocolate ribs. How about making chocolate ribs?” He chuckled as if it was a joke. Little did he know, chocolate invades ALL food groups in my kitchen!

The dark chocolate rub soon emerged and found a wonderful compliment to the pork ribs – think umami bath. It is important to cook them long and slow at the beginning for the best flavor. Then, top the ribs with Harold-Inspired Vosges Haut-Chocolat BBQ Sauce.

BBQ Chocolate Ribs

Serves 4 people
Ingredients:

3 racks Baby back ribs

Dry rub:
¼ cup Balinese peppercorn or telicherry
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chipotle
1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat the oven to 300F
Mix dry rub ingredients together.
Coat your baby back ribs on both sides with dry rub. Place ribs in a baking sheet, they can overlap. Fill with water half way up the pan and seal tightly with aluminum foil. Cook for 2 hours. This can be done in advance, just keep the ribs wrapped in aluminum foil as they cool.

Turn on the grill or light up the hard wood charcoal.
Place ribs over medium heat (careful it’s not too hot or it will burn), bone-side down. Cook for 5 minutes flip the ribs and with a brush, baste them with chocolate barbecue sauce. Continue to shellac them a few more times until they are well sauced and crispy. Remove from heat, place on a platter, brush again with BBQ sauce and cover with aluminum foil until ready.

Place the ribs on a cutting board and cut the ribs into individual pieces and serve with extra sauce.

The ribs may be grilled up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated, in which case do not brush extra sauce at the end. Wait until you heat through the next day and finish with a hefty brushing of chocolate BBQ sauce.

Accompany with coleslaw, cocoa Habana corn on the cob and extra Harold-Inspired BBQ Sauce

Harold-Inspired Vosges Haut-Chocolat BBQ Sauce

1 medium onion minced
2 tbsp corn oil
1 dried ancho chili
1 1/2 sea salt
1 1/2 crushed telicherry peppercorns, coarse ground
1 cup apple cider vinegar, organic
28 oz. Canned whole tomatoes, organic
8 oz. Tomato sauce, organic
1 tbsp Volcano Island ginger honey, organic
2 tbsp molasses
1/4 cup dark molasses brown sugar
1 tbsp exquisite grade sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 1/2 oz Red Fire Bar {4 squares}
1 cup Aztec Elixir Couture Cocoa Mix
1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
1 cup cilantro leaves

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions and ancho chili pepper in hot oil stirring often until golden brown, about 10 minutes. De-glaze pan with apple cider vinegar cook on hi heat for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to extra low and simmer, uncovered until thickened. stirring occasionally, cook time roughly 2.5 hours.

Puree sauce with a immersion hand blender, transfer to an air tight container and refrigerate overnight, {I love using old jars I save from Martinelli’s mini apple juice bottles, they are the perfect gift size too} this will really let the flavors set in. The sauce can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks.

When ready for use, add cilantro. Brush chicken, ribs or vegetables with sauce 2 minutes before they are finished cooking and brush again after removed from the grill.

Bianca Paired with Hot Donuts

It is always such an inspiration to see what others create with Vosges Haut-Chocolat products. It is like sending your children into the world and enjoying the wonderment they find in their own journeys. I had just such an experience last year at the Peninsula hotel in Chicago.

The Peninsula is a splendorous hotel and my favorite in the city. A touch of Vosges Haut-Chocolat history… in the nascent years we had a boutique tucked in the corner of the lobby. During that time, I made the acquaintance of some of the staff and over the years, I have grown very fond of the hotel manager Ms. Zec, who is a personal inspiration.

When the hotel opened, the pastry chef at the hotel was a buoyant, tall and stout German man, Chef Ralph, who had a love of Fastnachts (German doughnuts) and Bianca hot chocolate.  During a visit just days after the Peninsula had opened in Chicago, I had a tasting with the executive chef and chef Ralph. Our the union was solidified. I was lucky enough to find that he had indeed included my Bianca Couture Cocoa in a most splendid presentation. He served the white chocolate, lavender and lemon myrtle drinking chocolate chilled alongside hot German donuts. The combination was a perfect mignardise pairing.

Ever since, when I am sipping Bianca, I dream of those hot donuts. And, during the rare occasion that I splurge and nibble some fried dough, it no longer seems complete without a sip of Bianca.

You might try this Sufganiyot doughnut recipe and fill them with tart cherry jam, not too sweet to pair with the Bianca. My favorite jams usually lie in California in the hands of June Taylor.

This is the time of year when I am finalizing creations that will adorn our shelves this fall.  I sort through my ideas testing and tasting, trying to determine which candy bars to add to our family. I would love to know your thoughts on some of my ideas. Leave a comment telling me which of these sounds the most intriguing to you and/or share some of your own ideas!  In exchange, I’ll randomly choose 5 people who share their thoughts and send them a dozen Mini Exotic Candy Bars.

Which sound the best to you?
Pink Himalayan salt caramel with 70% dark chocolate
Smoked Salt, stout and lardon caramel with 70% dark chocolate
Red Hawaiian salt caramel in 70% dark chocolate
Kentucky tobacco and caramelized corn in 70% dark chocolate
Toffee & banana in deep, milk chocolate
Organic walnuts and sultana raisin in Dominican 70% dark chocolate

Dark Chocolate Mole-Inspired Panini

The Vosges Haut-Chocolat Oaxaca bar is the Exotic Candy Bar with the darkest chocolate and most cacao content of any other. The single origin Tanzanian bittersweet chocolate is 75% cacao and has an earthy, fruity flavor. The dark chocolate stands up well to the two kinds of chillies, both guajillo & pasilla chillies that reinforce the bright, plum skin fruitiness in the bar.

Chocolate was first discovered by westerners when they visited the Aztecs over 500 years ago. The ancient people drank cacao ground together with vanilla, annato, herbs, cornmeal and chillies. The xocatyl was frothed and the foam was sipped numerous times a day. When Cortez, the explorer, and his men first drank the holy beverage, they believed they were being poisoned and were catching fire from the inside. When the Spanish crew brought cacao beans back to Europe, sugar was added to make the drink more palatable. And the rest, as they say, is history.

My many chillies + chocolate creations pay homage to chocolate’s origins. Oaxaca, Mexico is revered as the birthplace of chocolate. They are known for their thick, hot beverage and their wondrous mole sauces. Pairing raisins with the Oaxaca bar in this panini recipe was inspired by the fruits that are an important part of mole recipes. A little sweetness offsets the tannic nature of this incredibly dark chocolate while bringing out its fruity undertones.

Oaxaca Raisin Panini
yields: 1 panino
Ingredients:
2 slices of ciabatta or Italian country bread
1 tsp unsalted butter, softened Vermont butter is our favorite Maldon salt crystals
1 oz. Vosges Oaxaca Bar (3 squares), chopped
6- 8 plump raisins

Heat a panini press. Lightly butter both sides of each slice of bread. Spread chopped chocolate evenly across one slice of bread with the raisins and sandwich the other slice atop. Grill the sandwich in the press until brown and crispy on the outside, about 4 minutes.

Chocolate Polenta Poached Eggs

It is my dream to someday open a breakfast salon. I first fell in love with the ritual of breakfast when I was going to college and the had-to-go-breakfast spot was The Pancake Pantry where invariably you’d wait 1 hour+ to get a table. But it was all worth it when you first sunk your fork into their buckwheat and buttermilk cakes.

Later when I was traveling around the world and my palate was being trained in the subtlety of flavor and balance, I had the most blissful breakfast experience of modern, simplicity and cool at bills in Sydney, Australia. One of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had. I’ll never forget it.

So, now that my world is filled with chocolate I am most curious to see how far its boundaries can reach. Chocolate and eggs… oh certainly yes.

Chocolate Polenta Poached Eggs

Yields 6 servings:

Guajillo Paste
1 tomato, large and organic
2 guajillo chillies, seeded and stems removed leave in the veins (this is the hottest part)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp canola oil
¼ tsp smoked salt (Iburi Jio Cherry by The Meadow is lovely)

Chocolate Polenta
2/3 cup polenta, I like Moretti fioretto
2 cups of whole milk
2 tsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 pinches of salt to taste
pepper
2 tbsp butter

12 Poached eggs

Garnish
Chopped cilantro
Avocado slices
Sour cream
Olive oil

Guajillo paste:
With a mortar and pestle, crush coriander and cumin seeds. Heat a griddle, cast iron skillet or a comal over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Add the tomato and turn occasionally with tongs until each side is completely charred. Do the same thing with the chillies for about 30-45 seconds per side. Then soak the chillies in boiling water to soften for 15 minutes. Drain the chillies and place in a blender with tomato, coriander, cumin, canola oil and smoked salt and pulverize into a paste. (The best blender is a Vitamix.)

Polenta:
To make the polenta, heat the milk in a sauce pan, when it is just about to boil add the polenta, and cocoa powder. Stir continuously over a low heat until it is a thick and smooth mass. Cook for about 30 minutes stirring slowly and evenly. Add butter, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Poaching Eggs:
Poach your eggs by bring a water bath to a hot simmer (140F) and add 2 teaspoons of vinegar. The vinegar helps the egg congeal more easily. With a spoon swirl the water aggressively to form a mini tidal pool and crack a couple eggs at a time into your water bath. The twisting motion of the water helps the whites fold over the egg yolk. You can also nudge the egg whites closer to their yolks with a spoon. Turn off the heat. Cover. Let sit for 4 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked. Lift eggs with a slotted spoon and rest on a towel to absorb excess water.

One trick to make the eggs stay somewhat contained is to take a cookie cutter ring or the ring part of a lid from a mason jar and place it in the pan. Drop the egg over the ring and let the egg settle in the ring, then turn off the heat and cover.

Assembly:
Take your warm plate, place a nice dollop of the polenta in the center. Place 2 poached egg atop then drizzle with the guajillo chili paste, slices of avocado, chopped cilantro, sour cream and a touch of olive oil.

yummmmm