Coddled Eggs & Soldiers

12 Nov 2016

This meal is one of my favorites for many reasons - it's pretty, it's easy, and tastes yummy. Coddled eggs unfortunately require a specific dish and are not all that structurally different I guess from poached or soft boiled in the shell. The reason I prefer this method is that you can add all sorts of additions to the egg, not easily done by the other types I mentioned. Popular additions are things like salmon, spinach, herb, capers and the list goes on. I usually keep it simple with something like truffle oil or spinach, but the possibilities are many.

If you are not familiar with this style of egg, it is likely because they are really predominately popular in England and made mostly by one company (The Royal Worcester Company). I was turned on to them while on a few work trips to England and having a life long love of tea style/pretty dishes, I jumped right on the band wagon. During the Victorian era they were a point of pride for "upper crust" families to display on their breakfast tables. They are easily found on Etsy and the only American company that I could find that made them at one time was Williams & Sonoma, but they are no longer available through the store.

Soldiers are also another classic British favorite, really just strips of toast, perfect for dipping in your soft-boiled egg. The origin of the name is often attributed to the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty" or the formation that the strips make, like soldiers all lined up.

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Moments (Week in Review)
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This week made me weary - too much negativity. Leonard Cohen's passing seems especially sad, but he is finally free and hopefully finding the peace that he never found in life. Here is one of my favorites:

Bird On The Wire

Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.

Like a worm on a hook,
like a knight from some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee.

If I, if I have been unkind,
I hope that you can just let it go by.
If I, if I have been untrue
I hope you know it was never to you.

Like a baby, stillborn,
ike a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me.

But I swear by this song
and by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee.

I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch,
he said to me, "You must not ask for so much."

And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door,
she cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"

Oh like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.


Coddled Eggs & Soldiers

Recipe for truffle coddled eggs and croque monsieur soldiers.
By

Coddled Eggs & Soldiers

Prep time: - Cook time: - Total time:
Yield: 2S

Ingredients

For Soldiers
- 4 slices white bread
- 2 slices of prosciutto
- 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1/8 cup mustard
- dash nutmeg
- butter
For Eggs
- 4 egg coddlers
- 4 eggs
- truffle oil
- butter
- salt & pepper

-
Directions

For Soldiers
Preheat oven 375F.

Mix yogurt, mustard and nutmeg together.

Butter bottom side and spread mustard mix on top of two slices of bread, place one piece of prosciutto over mustard, sprinkle some of the gruyere.

Top each slice with remaining plain bread slice, cover top layer with gruyere until mostly cover.

Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.

For Eggs
Place coddled egg dishes in a pot empty, fill with water until about 3/4 way up the side of the dish.

Remove coddled egg dishes, butter the insides, drizzle a bit of truffle oil, salt and pepper and then crack one egg into each.

Bring pot of water to boil over medium heat.

Then place coddled egg dishes with lids tightly fastened and let cook for about 5 - 7 minutes.

It may take a few tries to get the desired doneness and you can always take one out and remove the lid to check, then return to cook longer.

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

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