Soft Boiled Eggs

Despite being stuck at home on a rainy Saturday by myself, I'm having one of the most indulgent of weekend mornings. The type where you find yourself still in your pajamas after 11, when you linger over a second or third cup of coffee- a coffee you even had the time to steam milk for- and read your favorite sections of the NY Times AND catch up on all of the blogs you follow, a morning that finds you hungry and with time to make something extra special for yourself.

My boys went away for the day to help my sister-in-law and her boyfriend move and, while I feel rotten that I could not help pack and carry boxes and furniture for them in an attempt to chip away at the huge debt we are in with them after they helped us move for a whole weekend with very little advanced warning, it is indulgently nice and unexpected to be in a quiet house with no set agenda in spite of my sore throat and pounding head and face ache and sniffles...

I was craving a savory breakfast and after reading yesterday about how to cook perfectly soft-boiled eggs, this is the breakfast I knew I wanted to eat. I brought 1/2 inch of water to a boil in a small sauce pan, turned the heat down to medium low, gently placed 2 eggs in the bubbling water, covered the pan, and waited 6 1/2 minutes for the hot water to warm and set the whites while leaving the bright yellow yolks perfectly runny.

While the eggs were cooking, I sautéed some spinach with sunflower seed oil and freshly minced garlic and toasted some whole grain bread. For one slice of the bread, I broiled some extra sharp cheddar cheese and for the second, I smeared it with unsalted butter. When the eggs were finished cooking, I cooled them with cold running water, then peeled away their shells, which come off quite easily because of the springiness of the whites. I placed the whole eggs on top of the spinach and then cut them open to let the yolks run freely across the plate.

It was perfectly indulgent and delicious without being fussy. A good start to my day of rest and healing.