Cooking: Egg and Bread are All You Need for a Tres Bon Breakfast

I had the best soft-boiled egg when I went to Paris a few years ago. The cafe served it with baguette, cut into finger-thin pieces, toasted and with a generous spread of butter over them. I cracked the egg and dipped the bread into the oozing yolk. That stuck in my mind and I've been trying to recreate it ever since.

Of course, baguette and butter that good are hard to come by. I've experimented with different kinds of bread, butter and even tried it with olive oil. It takes me back every time.


I recently craved a simple breakfast that doesn't involve chopping any vegetables or anything too elaborate. So I soft-boiled the eggs -- it's important to submerge the eggs (I cooked two), lower the heat once the water reaches a boiling point and boil for another 3-5 minutes max. If you leave it for any longer than that, it won't have the oozy consistency that lets you dip your bread. If you like super oozy, do 3 minutes, if you like some oozy, do 5.

I also drizzled the bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead of butter and it tasted great. A "cafe creme" would have been the perfect accompaniment to this breakfast, although I just had diluted grapefruit juice.

Enjoy!