RECIPE: Make Empire State South’s Farm Egg
I can’t go to Empire State South without ordering the Farm Egg. The combination of crispy rice, custardy yolk, and smoked meat and or mushroom, once the dish is stirred together, is nothing short of magical. It changes seasonally, but is there any way that you can get the base recipe so that I can try my hand at it when I can’t make it down to Midtown? Bryant Conger, Sandy Springs
Executive chef Daniel Porubiansky shared the recipe for the Farm Egg, a dish that’s been on the menu at Empire State South since the restaurant opened over a decade ago. The meat and vegetables in the dish may vary by season, but the coddled egg and crispy rice are the mainstays of this dish.
- 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 cup uncooked fresh corn kernels
- 1 cup diced speck or other dry aged ham
- 3 cups Crispy Rice (see recipe)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 6 Coddled Eggs (see recipe)
- 2 cups warm Corn Puree (see recipe)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives, for garnish
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When oil is nearly smoking, add mushrooms and saute 4 minutes or until lightly crisp. Add 2 tablespoons butter and corn. Cook until mushrooms have released their liquid, the liquid has cooked off, and corn is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Do not rinse skillet.
- In the same skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add speck. Cook until the fat begins to render from the meat and the meat becomes lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the Crispy Rice to the skillet and cook until rice is hot and just beginning to turn light brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir frequently. Do not overcook. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the mushroom-corn mixture. Add lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Stir to combine and when everything is evenly hot, remove skillet from heat.
- Set out 6 bowls and divide Corn Puree between bowls. Divide rice mixture between bowls, forming a small mound. One at a time, crack coddled eggs into a small bowl. With a slotted spoon, carefully scoop each egg individually, gently shaking to remove the looser portion of the white. Then place an egg on each mound of rice. As you place the egg in the rice, push down gently with the spoon to create a well for the egg to sit in. Garnish the egg with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper and chives. When serving, instruct everyone to gently break the egg yolk and then stir the dish together so the corn puree, the egg and the rice are all combined. Serves 6.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 564 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 18 grams protein, 61 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 29 grams total fat (8 grams saturated), 219 milligrams cholesterol, 712 milligrams sodium.Crispy Rice
This recipe calls for cooking the rice in a large pot of water, as you would pasta, then draining off the water when the rice is just cooked to the al dente stage. At the restaurant, the rice is made crispy by cooking it in a deep fryer. Once fried, it will keep for up to 10 days, well covered, at room temperature. We adapted the recipe for home cooks and to make just what’s needed for the recipe’s 6 servings.
- 1 cup rice, jasmine preferred
- Salt
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- Vegetable oil for frying rice
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add rice and a pinch of salt. When the water returns to a boil, lower heat until mixture is simmering briskly and cook 12 to 15 minutes or until the rice is just al dente. Drain the rice, discarding the cooking water, and lay rice out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. Once cooled, refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.
- When rice is cold, combine in a medium bowl with tapioca starch and mix well, using your hands, making sure every grain of rice is evenly coated with starch and there are no lumps.
- In a Dutch oven, heat 2 inches of oil to 300 degrees. When oil reaches temperature, sprinkle the rice, a little at a time, into the hot oil, making sure to scatter the rice and stir while frying to avoid having the rice form clumps. Every grain of rice should be separate. Cook for about 90 seconds until the rice just takes a pale brown hue. Do not overcook. Strain rice from oil and lay out on a baking sheet lined with paper towel and allow to cool. Continue until all rice is fried. If making ahead of time, cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 10 days. Makes 3 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per 1/2-cup serving: 202 calories (percent of calories from fat, 21), 2 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams total fat (1 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 20 milligrams sodium.Coddled Eggs
The restaurant prepares its coddled eggs using a temperature-controlled water bath called a sous vide (also known as an immersion circulator). If you don’t have a sous vide, prepare the coddled eggs according to your favorite recipe. You want the whites to be cooked just enough to let you pick the egg up with a spoon while the yolk remains raw.
Our recipe serves 6, so we’re calling for 6 eggs here, but Porubiansky recommends coddling a few extra eggs. The reason? It’s easy to break into the yolk of the coddled egg when getting it out of the shell. Consider making extra eggs as insurance for a picture-perfect dish.
- 6 eggs
- Put an immersion circulator into a large pot or plastic container of water and set the temperature to 145.4 degrees.
- When the water reaches temperature, carefully lower the eggs into the water and set a timer for 45 minutes. In 45 minutes, reduce temperature on the immersion circulator to 122 degrees. Eggs can be kept at 122 degrees until ready to serve, but will not overcook. Makes 6 eggs.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per egg: 72 calories (percent of calories from fat, 62), 6 grams protein, trace carbohydrates, no fiber, 5 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 186 milligrams cholesterol, 71 milligrams sodium.Corn Puree
- 8 cups vegetable or corn cob stock
- 4 cups corn kernels
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt, to taste
- In a large saucepan, combine stock and corn. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook 1 hour, or until corn is very soft. Drain corn, reserving the cooking liquid.
- Add cooked corn to the jar of a blender and process on high speed, adding just enough of the cooking liquid to puree the mixture. Process until the mixture is as smooth as possible. Discard any remaining cooking liquid. Season puree with lemon juice and salt to taste. Strain mixture through a sieve, discarding solids, and keep warm until ready to serve. Makes 2 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per 1/3-cup serving: 89 calories (percent of calories from fat, 14), 3 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 1 gram total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 462 milligrams sodium.From the menu of . . . Empire State South, 999 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-541-1105, empirestatesouth.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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