Eggs are a wonderful thing. They are not seasonal, you can eat them all year-long. They are not expensive and you don’t have to go out of your way to find them. They can be baked, poached, fried, scrambled and taste wonderful with just a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. What’s not to like?
My favorite way to prepare eggs is to poach them. Soft boiled eggs are also very satisfying. When I was a kid my mom would tear white bread into pieces (without the crust) and place the bread in a small bowl then break open a soft-boiled egg and spoon it on the bread adding salt and a bit of pepper. Oh my. It was so good, those fluffy morsels of bread soaking up the runny yolk.
Poached egg on toasted English muffin with Hollandaise sauce, spinach and crispy bacon.
Hard boiled eggs Pan Bagnat.
Poached Eggs
2 large eggs cracked and placed in two separate bowls (small Pyrex bowls work well, or smaller ones shown above)
2 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
Place vinegar in a small pot, large enough to hold two eggs. Add enough water to reach about 3 inches up the side. Heat water on high, just until small bubbles appear on the bottom of the pot. Gently slide in one egg at a time. Turn heat down to medium (water should not boil) and set the timer for 4 minutes. If the water seems too hot, turn the heat down just a bit. Once your timer rings, remove the eggs gently with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. Serve on buttered toast or as my family sometimes does, place eggs on top of steaming hot white or brown rice and drizzle with soy sauce.
To poach four eggs use a 3 quart pot and increase the vinegar to 1/3 cup.
Hard Boiled Eggs
Place eggs in a pot that’s large enough so that the eggs have a bit of space around them. Add cold water at least one inch above eggs. Bring to a boil and immediately turn the heat to medium and let eggs simmer. Set your timer for 10 minutes. Once your timer rings, drain and run cold water over eggs. When I follow this method the eggs seem to cook perfectly.
Love this post. We have chickens (and the green and brown eggs!) and the ideas for eggs and instructions for poaching are appreciated! For some reason poaching intimidates me – so I’ll try your instructions. Thank you!
I wish I had chickens too! There’s nothing like fresh eggs. I love poached eggs and I found this preparation to be easy and full proof. Thank you Shanna, I hope you will be poaching eggs soon!
Indeed! And maybe there are chickens in your future?
Hi Shanna ~ Yes, it’s very tempting! I’ll check with my neighbor who currently has a few chickens. She shares her fresh eggs with us now and then.
Maybe you can barter your delicious cooking for more of her eggs? 😉 I also see fresh eggs not only at farmer’s markets, but chicken and feed stores where we purchased our chicken and regularly buy feed. I would certainly share my eggs with a fellow love of food, though the ocean between us is a barrier. 😉
Good idea! I’ll take some homemade jam to my neighbor and hint of how yummy it is on toast for breakfast with some “fresh scrambled eggs!”
I like the way you think. A subtle touch. Not to mention a fair trade – yum, JAM.