Onsen egg on spinach risotto

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 eggs, fresh
• 180 g rice (Carnaroli or Arborio)
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 50 ml white wine
• 600 ml chicken broth
• 150 g spinach, fresh, without stems, washed and cut into strips
• 1 tbsp cress
• pepper
• Sea salt (Fleur de Sel)

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 25 minutes

the perfect egg as a starter

Onsen Tamago are chicken eggs that are cooked in Japanese springs, the onsen, which are heated to 60-70 degrees Celsius (140-158 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 60 minutes (Tamago means egg). In the kitchen, a sous-vide cooker is used, which can maintain the perfect temperature. With a little skill, however, you can also place the eggs in a pot containing a sufficient amount of heated water. Of course, the constant temperature of 65-68 degrees Celsius must be constantly monitored with a thermometer. In 60 minutes, you will have an egg with the perfect consistency. The yolk begins to coagulate at a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius. If it doesn’t exceed 68 degrees Celsius, it retains this creamy consistency. The egg white begins to coagulate at 62 degrees Celsius, but only sets at 75 degrees Celsius. The trick with this cooking method is to heat the yolk to an internal temperature of 68 degrees Celsius. This practically cooks the egg from the inside out. If you don’t have a sous vide cooker, heat enough water to 68 degrees Celsius and wait several minutes, allowing the temperature to remain constant. Then carefully place the uncooled eggs into the water, which will drop slightly in temperature. With skill and experience, you’ll need to keep the temperature between 65 and 68 degrees Celsius on your stovetop. Only then do you begin preparing the risotto. Gently sauté the spring onions in butter for 5 minutes, add the rice, mix well, and after another minute, pour in the wine and reduce. Then ladle in the heated, almost boiling stock in several batches. After 10 minutes, add the spinach and continue until the risotto has the right consistency after 17-18 minutes. Divide the risotto between the centers of 4 deep plates. Now, crack the eggs one by one in the center with a knife and carefully drop the egg onto the risotto. Sprinkle with a little pepper and fleur de sel. Tips: Instead of risotto, you can also choose just spinach, lettuce, asparagus, beans, etc. A particularly refined version is one in which a little white truffle is shaved over the egg.