"A man should swallow a toad every morning to be sure of
not meeting with anything more revolting in the day ahead."
-- Nicholas Chamfort
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| Toad in the hole 1-4-14 |
"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing," he said.
-- A.A. Milne, Winnie The Pooh
"I went to a restaurant that serves 'breakfast at any time'
so I ordered French toast during the Renaissance."
-- Steven Wright
First, let's clarify.
I don't eat breakfast. The first meal of the my day usually happens around noon or later. So technically, it's still breakfast, because I'm "breaking the fast." It just takes me a while to get there.
So, that's the when.
When it comes to the what, I go in spurts.
For a while I'll be on a cinnamon toast kick. Then it's a few weeks of walnuts and berries. Then hot cereal.
But typically it's some kind of breakfast food. Eggs are my favorite.
As for the the how, I love 'em every which way: poached, fried, scrambled, boiled, omelette-ed, frittata-ed.
But by far, the most adorable way to enjoy an egg, has to be Toad in the Hole.
What could be happier than a piece of crispy golden toast with a round center cutout snuggled around a perfectly cooked egg? You don't need a fork. If you get the yolk just right, so that it's neither too cooked nor too runny, you can pick it up and eat it with your fingers without losing any of the yolk dripping all over the plate. But if you do lose any of the yolk, that's what the little round bit of toast is perfect for. Mopping it up.
Since I usually get the yolk just right, I like to put strawberry jam on the toasty bit as the perfect sweet note to finish the perfect breakfast.
Which brings us to ...
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The first ever "One Good Thing Daily Challenge!"
I challenge you to make Toad in the Hole for yourself, or someone you love, for whenever you enjoy breakfast (even if it's at midnight, which is a lovely time for eggs, and Toad in the Hole is a much cozier midnight snack that dry old pretzels or chips. And I think eggs pair beautifully with red wine.)
It's super easy. Here's how:
Cut out the center of a slice of bread with a small glass or cookie cutter. Warm up a skillet (I swear by cast iron, because it makes the crispy so much crispier.) Melt some butter in the skillet (keep the heat gentle ... medium to medium low.) Then lay the toast (and the little round bit) in the melted butter. After a few minutes, so that the pan is heated fully, crack one egg into the center cutout. Salt and pepper it, and put a lid on it. When the egg white is about halfway set, flip the whole thing, salt and pepper the other side, adjust the heat so it's not too hot, and cover. Cook until the yolk is fully cooked, but still tender. (Press on the yolk ... if it's real squishy, cook it longer. If it's just this side of firm, it's ready.) Slice in half, sprinkle with fresh parsley if you like to be fancy.
If you've made it this far, Voila! You just made Toad in the Hole!
Now isn't that a good thing?
