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The other morning, I had a head ache. There was only one thing I wanted. Egg on toast. I went downstairs to the kitchen, dug through my pots and pans and found the small sauce pan. I filled it with water and put two eggs in it. I turned on the fire and waited until the water just began to boil. Then I set the timer for three minutes and thought of Mother.
Egg on toast was my mother's remedy for anything. Egg on toast. Not soft boiled egg on toast. Just egg on toast. As I stood in the kitchen waiting for my eggs to boil, I put two pieces of wheat bread into the toaster. I could see my mother's arthritic hands. I could see her open the bread bag. I could see the plate - always a small one sitting waiting to be of service. Egg on toast doesn't take up a lot of space on the plate so a large, dinner size is just too big. Egg on toast served on a dinner plate does not taste as good as on a little plate. Egg on toast is best, frankly, with white toast. That's what I grew up with - but I fix mine on wheat toast. The texture isn't quite right, but it's my bow to healthy eating.
Once the timer went off, my mother would pour the water out of the pot and then she would scoop the egg out with a large spoon and run cold water over it to cool it. Then she took a knife, and with a clean, sharp hit to the side would crack the egg and scoop out the somewhat runny yoke and white with the knife onto a buttered piece of toast. She repeated this move with the second egg. Then she would kind of chop up the egg - so that it spread over the entire piece of toast. But here is what made the meal so delectable.
After both eggs were dumped onto their respective pieces of toast, she salt and peppered them liberally. Then with the knife and a fork would lift one of the pieces of toast onto the other to make it a double decker. Then, she cut the two pieces into bite sized squares. This is the only way I can eat egg on toast. Cut up.
Now my daughter, to whom I passed this family breakfast recipe, eats her egg on toast differently. A rebel, she does not stack the toast, nor does she cut them into bite size pieces. She cuts one bite at a time from a whole piece of toast. I think she is missing out but you know how the younger generation is.
I'm heading down now to fix egg on toast for breakfast.
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I cannot believe you finished this "before" you made your "egg on toast" but then you are the "younger generation". I would have eaten first.
ReplyDeleteI have my grandma's version that is the best comfort food ever. Mine is fried eggs on toast, always best with white bread, but I too defer to wheat toast.
ReplyDeleteMy family's version was poached eggs on toasted white bread and yes, lots of salt and pepper. It was comfort food for scratchy throats, headaches and winter colds.
ReplyDeleteYounger generation speaking. I vaguely remember you making double-decker egg on toast, cut up, for me when I was a kid. But then I forgot about that step when I started making it for myself. I never could figure out why my egg on toast doesn't taste as good as yours.
ReplyDeleteI much prefer wheat toast, however. I've actually grown to dislike almost anything made from white flour, including bread, pasta and bagels. I'll eat it if that's the only option, but it's definitely not my first choice. Weird, huh?