Ah, Noble Egg!

I’ve kept chicken nearly four years now.  They roam my yard, scratching up bugs and worms, clucking warily amongst themselves.  When I arrive home, the small flock scampers from the brush and gathers nearby, eyeing me for a handout.  They’re pretty birds.

Occasionally they wreck some flowers or destroy a stretch of grass; rarely they meet a hungry fox or bobcat.  In one moment of high drama, I saw a darting hen snatch a dragonfly from mid-air.  The rooster loudly greets each morning.  And the hens lay gorgeous eggs:

As an egg-chef, I’ve stayed basic: scrambled, hard boiled, sometimes poached.  I mix them into pancake batter and other baking tasks.  Every few weeks, when my consumption flags, I deliver eggs to friends and neighbors.

This week, I ventured to new egg territory, discovering a delicacy as unbelievably delicious as it is simple.  I’m astonished I’ve not done it before.  Boil your egg an instant, simmer sixty seconds, slice off the top, and behold, The Soft-Boiled Egg!

This is a cross between poached and hard-boiled.  Like poaching, the egg is warm and smooth, the yolk semi-loose and the white semi-firm, together a soft creaminess.  Like hard-boiling, the egg proudly wears its shell, emphasizing a no nonsense chicken-to-table heritage.

But the soft-boiled egg is unique.  It has its own aroma and silky softness.  It’s delicious and savory in new ways.  It needs its own “egg cup” and its own prandial routine: Open your egg like a steaming Faberge masterpiece, dip a spoon inside, scoop out golden-white-silky egg, spread on toast, devour!

Observe:

Step one: open your eggs (note specialized egg cups).

Step two: scoop and spread; marvel at the unexpected silky texture.

Step three: eat, garnishing with salt and pepper. Repeat step two as appropriate.

Step four: admire the noble egg.

My breakfast menu is revolutionized.  The hens cluck with pleasure.  Like generous old friends, they don’t begrudge my tardiness in this discovery.  The eggs have new luster.  Ah, noble egg!  What a marvel you are!

Bring eggs fully to room temperature.  Place eggs in a small pan, with cool water just to cover them completely.  Leaving pan uncovered, bring to a boil and then immediately reduce to a bare simmer or turn off heat completely.  Simmer for sixty to eighty seconds and no more.  Remove eggs and immediately use a knife to crack and slice open the shell at the pointed end.  Serve immediately.  For best results, raise your own chickens.  If you enjoy these posts, please subscribe; just scroll to the bottom and click ‘Follow This Blog.’