Mission Accomplished!

So I poached an egg successfully today! I learned that it doesn't matter if you use a more shallow saute pan or a deeper pot. I filled the pot with about 2 inches of water, and then added a splash of distilled white vinegar - I think this is truly the key. I broke an egg into a small dish, and after the water reached a boil, I removed it from the heat, gently slid the egg into the water, and put the lid on the pot. (Thanks Martha! You're the best!) A few minutes later, I had the perfect poached egg, with solid egg whites and a yolk that was firm on the outside but still slightly runny on the inside. Great!
So now that leaves Beef Wellington, and...souffles. I've decided that I need to learn to make different types of souffles, both sweet and savory. How can one feel prepared to host any sort of party without knowing souffle basics? I think it's simply not possible!
...Stay tuned for updates on my cooking technique adventures...

And another thing: apparently La Madeleine restaurant is now trying to serve French Toast that is neither dipped in an egg mixture or sauteed/fried in a pan. I received a report that a recent order of La Madeleine French Toast actually was a danish (which seemed old) cut in half with some fruit and syrup on top. If that's French Toast then I don't even know where to start. The manager supposedly said that they "changed the recipe," but Mr. Manager, a piece of advice: when you change a recipe so that it no longer even vaguely resembles its old self, then CHANGE THE NAME! French Toast is not and never will be an old danish doused in syrup and fruit. Why not try "Sickly Sweet and Fruity Day-Old Danish" to describe your new creation?

Poached Eggs and Other Goals

So I made my first attempt this morning at poaching an egg, just like I saw Martha do it on her show the other day with Martin Short. Ok, so maybe I didn't follow Martha's example to a tee. Which is probably why my egg did not come out looking like Martha's when it was done. Apparently it's not that easy. I think my first mistake was using a pot instead of a more shallow saute pan or skillet. I also vaguely remember hearing somewhere that a splash of vinegar in the water helps the egg stay together, which of course I did not do... I'll be on Martha's website researching this technique right away, as it is one I'd like to perfect.
My "other goal" is to learn to make Beef Wellington - something I've never eaten and probably would never order from a menu - but an important recipe nonetheless. The truth is, I've just started watching "Hell's Kitchen," the FOX reality show with chef Gordon Ramsay and wannabe chefs competing to run their own restaurant (this season it will be in Las Vegas). Ramsay yells and swears nonstop at the contestants, and sometimes there is so much bleeping from the censors that I actually cannot figure out what he's saying. Anyway, one of the main dishes at the competition restaurant is Beef Wellington, and from what I can see, it is not an easy dish to get right. So of course, I must master it!
Maybe I'll start a list of things I need to learn to do successfully:
poach an egg
make beef wellington
ok that's a start!