Poached eggs

Since we were able to get our hands on fresh, pastured eggs I really wanted to poach them to get the full flavor.  Great idea...except this is one of those super basic cooking skills that is the most difficult to master.

We've tried everything from using those egg poaching things (a waste of money and space) and the old-fashioned salt/vinegar in simmering water method.  They never come out as pretty as when the Food Network chefs do them.  I've tried to get rid of those feathery egg whites to form a nice, elliptical poached egg.  Ah well, this is the best I could do.

The eggs tasted delicious, the asparagus were yummy and I was quite happy in the end.  Instead of using a stick of butter and more eggs to make hollandaise sauce we opted for a spicy-mayo sauce - delicious.  

Oh, and a note on pastured eggs.  The eggs aren't pastured, obviously, but the chickens are pastured, much like free range cows or sheep are pastured.  They are moved from one are to another so they don't kill the grass.  Apparently organic chickens aren't necessarily pastured so something to keep in mind when you're trying to decide on what to buy.