Oh, weekends, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love that on the weekends you can have late, slow breakfasts that involve things other than cereal. During the week I scarf down a bowl of cold cereal as fast as I can manage, while glaring at the clock that says “Hey! It’s 5:30am! That BLOWS!” and the traffic guy who’s usually telling me that my commute is going to suck even more than usual. Ugh. I’m annoyed just thinking about it.
But Saturday and Sunday mornings… These were made for eating something a little more indulgent. And while I love a nice big plate of pancakes or french toast on the weekends, sometimes I don’t want to spend the time over the stove required to make those. Also, sometimes I want to act like my life doesn’t revolve around carbs covered in sugar (I mean, it does. But sometimes it’s nice to pretend that I, like, eat protein occasionally.)
This isn’t a super healthy breakfast by any means (given that it involves buttered toast), but compared to a lot of big breakfast options, it’s pretty low on the omgmyjeansdon’tfit scale. Also, it’s a whopping 3 ingredients. So, there’s that. Perfect for those impromptu occasions when someone is over in the morning and you want to act like you have it together in the kitchen. Serve this with some coffee, they’ll think you’re a regular Julia Child (maybe).
I do feel like this recipe is kind of a cop out, because it’s not really a “recipe” so much as “here’s eggs the way I like to eat them.” But, sometimes it’s these little “kind-of” recipes that become a regular staple in your cooking repertoire. (What about how I just used the word “repertoire?” Also, what about the number of things in quotes in this paragraph? Insane.)
Soft-Boiled Eggs with Toast (or “Eggs and Soldiers”)
- Eggs (2 for KC, 1 for me)
- Good bread for toasting (I used an Acme sour batard)
- Salted butter (Unsalted butter is for baking. Or for slathering onto bread and topping with coarse salt. You know how I roll.)
- Place eggs in one layer in a small pot (the less room they have to roll around in there, the better). Cover with water (just barely), add a big pinch of salt, then heat over high, covered, until just beginning to boil.
- Once boiling, turn heat down to a simmer, crack the lid so a bit of the steam escapes, and simmer for 3 minutes exactly.
- Once 3 minutes is up, drain boiling water and transfer eggs into an ice bath (or cover with lots of cold water).
- Make toast (I don’t have to explain this, do I?), butter it, then slice into 1″ strips (for dipping!).
- Peel the top half of the eggs, serve in egg cups.
Cute egg cups + tiny spoons = yeah, that’s maybe half the reason I make these.