Eggs in a Basket (Fried Egg in Toast)
Valentine’s Day is coming up! There’s a million names for fried eggs in toast – Eggs in a Basket / Eggs in a Hole / Eggs in a Nest / Bird’s Nest / Toad in the Hole / Bullseye / Moon over Miami – but no matter what you call it, it’s a fun way to show your love.
Each person in my family has a very specific preference for how to eat eggs – fried, scrambled, runny yolk, solid yolk, with rice, with bread, with ketchup, whites only, etc. My favorite is, of course, fried. Personally runny yolks are my pet peeve; gotta have them cooked all the way. B, in the other hand, likes to poke his and watch the yolk flow away.
I saw this somewhere and thought this was the cutest idea. It was surprisingly tricky to get it done perfectly. Flipping the whole thing makes it messy because the yolks burst, and it’s not pretty anymore. Cooking without flipping risks burning the toast before the egg is done. Toasting the bread prior makes it hard so the egg flows out underneath if the pan’s not perfectly flat. And the biggest fail was trying to pour egg white from a carton – those whites were way too runny and flowed underneath out of the bread hole faster than you can say “rats!”
In frustration, I wanted to jab the center of the failed eggy hearts (I never claimed I wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, right?).
But after many, many Eggs in a Basket trials, I think I’ve got it figured it out. The trick – fry only one side of the bread so the second side cooks right along with the egg.
Fun medical fact: In pathology there’s quite a few cancers whose cells are classically described as “fried egg” – oligodendriomas (a brain tumor), multiple myeloma plasma cells (a bone marrow cancer) and seminomas /dysgerminomas (testicular/ovarian cancers).
Hey, I’m studying for my medical boards – gotta justify why I spent all morning frying and popping eggs instead of reading.
Eggs in a Basket (Fried Egg in Toast)
Ingredients
cooking spray or butter
1 slice of bread
1 egg
pinch of paprika and pepper
shredded cheddar cheese, to garnish
basil, to garnish
Directions
Cut your heart or whatever shape in the middle of the bread using a cookie cutter or knife (as I did).
Add butter or cooking spray to a frying pan on medium. Fry the bread (and the cut out piece) in the pan until golden brown. Flip the bread over. Carefully crack the egg inside and fry the egg for an additional minute or two, until the egg whites are fully cooked.
Some recipes brown both sides of the toast before cracking the egg, but I only cook one side first so you can fry the egg longer without burning the bottom (this way, you don’t have to flip the whole thing, keeping the yolk pretty).
You can flip the entire Egg in a Basket to cook the yolk a bit more. Lift the edge of the bread up with a spatula to make sure the egg has solidified and set into the toast. Add cooking spray / butter as needed and gently flip it over. Careful not to pop the egg yolk!
Top the egg with paprika, pepper, cheese, and basil. Slide on to a plate and serve with some avocado slices. Enjoy!
Note: Another option a friend mentioned is to cook on one side on a skillet, then hold in the oven under the broiler for a minute to cook the top without flipping. Genius!
Runny eggs are the best ! When its oozing you can dip bread or rice into it and get lots of good taste =) shame on you for hating on drippy egg yolks!
These are so perfect for breakfast-in-bed on Valentine's Day! Thanks for the cooking tips (and pathology refresher)!
These look delish! I love making fried eggs in toast too ~ 😀 The runny egg seeping all over under the toast is also a dilema I struggle with! Thanks for the tip about not flipping the egg at all! I usually cap the pan right after I crack the egg and center the yolk, so the top face of the egg has a chance to cook before I flip it. But I like the recommendation of not flipping at all better. I think that will make the egg look prettier, because when I flip it the egg gets kind of flat looking (and it doesn't work so well if I'm trying to produce anything except a hard egg yolk).
Thanks for the fried egg appearing cell reminder! I just had neuro block, so when you said fried eggs I was like oligodendroglioma cells *light bulb* 🙂 Good luck with boards study!!!!!
The amount of food related pathology is quite impressive – from cheesy necrosis to nutmeg liver to blueberry muffin rash…. the list is endless!
I'm a huge perfectionist so I hate the "flat" yolk – although it tastes great, it just bugged me too much. Thanks for boards wishes Sarah! 🙂 Good luck with Neuro – it's tough but fun to learn
I'm not a big egg fan, but this recipe looks great – I will have to give it a try!
Great tips! Any time I do sunny side up eggs start with medium hight heat and add eggs to help them set quick and not run. Then immediately turn to low, cover and slow cook. You get a nice even temp abd eggs cooks without burning bottom
That's a great idea Matt – thanks for the tip. I never cook with a cover actually – they just stay in my kitchen cabinets haha
Finally a Valentine breakfast that isn't full of sugar! Love this idea!
Aww, this is really cute! I have the perfect cookie cutter for this and I could make it with french toast for my kids. That would be so good too! Simple idea, but never would have thought of it! <3 it!
This would make for the perfect breakfast in bed!
Inspired me to make this for my family this weekend. Good luck on your boards
Inspired me to make this for my family this weekend. Good luck on your boards
What an adorable twist on eggs in a basket! We love weekend breakfast — may have to give this a go!
Katie
http://www.freckleandfair.com
The most essential thing you have to think about influencing flavored to toast right is you have to spread the two sides.
Thank you, I don’t know why I never thought of this! It’s perfect