Protein Plus

The water in the pan was gently simmering. I had added a splash of vinegar, and stirring, I made a centrifuge with a slotted spoon, but the action was unnecessary.

As I broke the freshly laid egg into the water it pooled perfectly and I paused to watch the egg white slowly congeal around the beautiful duck yolk, gradually shifting from translucent to opaque.

On the plate sat a warmed, golden, lobster quiche, made with Marsh Family free range chicken eggs - purchased that very morning from my mate Swampy, at the monthly Collingwood Children's Farm Farmer’s Market.

Into a small, porcelain bowl went a smashed, blanched, clove of garlic with a generous serve of freshly made pesto. I thinned it with vinegar, honey and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.

A dip of the finger into the bowl and a little taste; yes, perfect. The coarsely ground pine nuts of the pesto distributed themselves evenly throughout the simple salad of torn herbs, blanched asparagus, tomato and lettuce.

I fished out the immaculate oval poached egg and crowned the salad. I considered adding some fresh Buffalo Mozzarella but discounted it as superfluous.

As the knife went into the poached egg, a thick, bright orange rivulet of yolk oozed into the salad and onto the plate. The rich flavour of the duck egg melded with the dressing transporting it into a sumptuous dish, crisp but rich and laced with garlic.

The quiche lurking alongside became an over the top accessory for a hungry man who had just cycled 100km in training for this coming Sunday’s 250km Around the Bay in a Day ride. A man who needed an extra serve of protein with which to restore his muscles*.

Bicycle Victoria’s Around the Bay in a Day is a charity event to raise money for The Smith Family. One of the world's biggest and most popular cycling participation events, riders have a choice of four ride distances - 250km, 210km, 100km or 50km.

The ride on Sunday October 21st will take in some of Melbourne's most scenic and popular cycling routes around Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay. Riders will traverse the West Gate Bridge, Beach Road and the Bellarine Peninsula, crossing The Bay between Portsea and Queenscliff by ferry.

In 2006, more than 14,000 riders took on the challenge of riding "around the bay", raising a record $496,872 for The Smith Family.

*The protein in eggs has a biological quality greater than any other natural food. In fact many manufacturers of protein powders often base their products on egg protein such as albumin because of its protein quality. Egg protein contains all the essential amino acids in the exact proportions required by the body for optimum growth and maintenance of lean, metabolically active tissue.