Mushroom ragout with poached duck egg recipe

Ingredients

• truffle oil (or olive oil if you prefer)
• 2½ cups water
• 1¼ lbs mixed fresh mushrooms (wild or cultivated)
• ¾ lb sourdough bread, crusts removed
• 6½ tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• ½ cup white wine
• 3 thyme sprigs
• salt
• 4 duck eggs
• vinegar for poaching
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp chopped tarragon
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• black pepper
• truffle oil (or olive oil if you prefer)

1. Before you start, put the dried porcini to soak in 1 cup of the water for 30 minutes. Brush your fresh mushrooms to remove any soil, then cut up large ones or divide into clusters so you have a selection of whole mushrooms and large chunks. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Toss them with 2 tablespoons of the oil, the garlic and salt. Spread out on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until brown.
3. Next, pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a medium-sized heavy pan and heat well over medium-high heat. Add some of the fresh mushrooms and leave for 1 to 2 minutes, without stirring. Don’t crowd the mushrooms in the pan. Once lightly browned, turn them over to cook for another minute. Remove from the pan and continue with more batches, adding oil as needed. Once all the mushrooms have been removed from the pan, add another tablespoon of oil and throw in the onion, carrot and celery. Sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes, without browning. Add the wine and let it bubble away for a minute.
4. Lift the porcini out of the soaking liquid, squeezing out the excess liquid. Add the soaking liquid to the pan, leaving behind any grit in the bowl. Add the remaining 11/2 cups of water, the thyme and a little salt, then simmer gently for about 20 minutes, or until you are left with about 1 cup of liquid. Strain this stock and discard the vegetables; return the stock to the pan and set it aside.
5. To poach the eggs, fill a shallow saucepan with enough water for a whole egg to cook in. Add a splash of vinegar and bring to a rapid boil. Carefully break an egg into a small cup and gently pour it into the boiling water. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and set it aside. After 6 minutes the egg should be poached to perfection. Lift it out of the pan and into a bowl of warm water. Once all the eggs are done, dry them on paper towels.
6. While you are poaching the final egg, heat up the stock and add all the mushrooms, the sour cream, most of the chopped herbs (reserving some to garnish) and salt and pepper to taste. As soon as the mushrooms are hot, place about four croutons in each serving dish and top with mushrooms. Add an egg, the remaining herbs, a drizzle of truffle oil and some black pepper.