Poached Eggs in Cheese Sauce

I’m a little at a loss for what to say about this dish. It’s a dish that my mom has made for as long as I can remember, but I have no idea where it came from. I know that it’s a little time-intensive for breakfast and so it was a big treat at my house when mom decided to make it. I know that I was so proud when my mom graduated me, as a little kid, from being served a bowl of the cheese sauce alone to one that had poached eggs in it. I know that my brother still makes this dish for his wife and himself, but I don’t know of anyone outside my family that makes this.

When I moved out into my own little apartment, I tried to make it a few times.  It it was never really the same, and the end result was disappointing. I did it more by memory than anything, and I couldn’t get it right. I wasn’t inspired to keep trying.

Until this weekend, of course, because I just had a craving for something warm, creamy, and more savory than a bagel. But this time, I re-checked the recipe with my brother first.

Turns out, you start with three tablespoons of butter in the pan, not just one.

And you add three tablespoons of flour to it, not just one.

Then you slowly add about a cup and a half of milk, though I know that my mom usually adds way more than that to stretch the sauce. Add it gradually, stirring constantly, until the sauce gets creamy.

Add in some salt, pepper, and onion powder. My brother adds garlic powder, too.

And finally, add shredded cheese and stir until it’s melted and creamy. I used Monterey Jack, but you could use anything, really.

When you’ve got the cheese sauce about where you want it, drop in some raw eggs. Group them together according to how many eggs each person will get. I know it’s much easier to do this when you’re cooking for two than when it’s a big family. I used a large saucepan here, but my mom usually used a deep skillet so that she had room for 5 piles of eggs.

Cover and cook.

When it’s done, scoop out some eggs and sauce into a bowl, let it cool down a bit, and enjoy!

I had all the ingredients right, but the proportions were wrong when I made it before. Upping the butter and flour, and reducing the milk, was the key. The sauce is boring and bland when the basis is just skim milk, but it’s much tastier with more butter and flour. It tasted much more like how I remember it.

But I don’t think it’ll ever be as good as mom’s.

Recipe in Tastebook.