Bruschetta Eggs

Sometimes it feels like I have the eating habits of a (very sophisticated) toddler. When I find something I like, I want to eat it exclusively and constantly. That’s how it’s been since I made these bruschetta eggs a few weeks ago– nothing sounds better to me, and I try to make sure we always have basil on hand (tomatoes and parmesan are a given.)

Once I make something about six times in a row, something clicks and I figure that it’s probably a recipe you should know about. So as I was cooking my eggs this morning, I got out my camera. This recipe is quick and fairly simple. And it reminds me of one of my favorite restaurant breakfasts– a bistro I used to work at served poached eggs served over toasted ciabatta bread, topped with tomato bruschetta relish. If you want to toast some bread and poach your eggs, feel free! Otherwise, this is fantastic as-is.

Making Bruschetta Eggs

What You’ll Need:

• olive oil or butter for the pan
• 2-3 eggs
• 2 small plum tomatoes
• a couple of stems of basil leaves
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1 tablespoon fruity extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• parmesan cheese (optional)
• in terms of equipment, you’ll need a small pan, a good knife, and a microplane (for the cheese)

What to Do:

1. Start cooking your eggs. We’re going for a soft sunny side up here. Heat the oil or butter (if you are using butter, a couple drops of olive oil will keep it from burning) in a pan over medium heat. Gently crack your eggs in, and sprinkle a little salt on them. Sometimes (like today) I like to press some chopped tomato in between the eggs, but you can just cook them by themselves, too. Cover your eggs and keep them over low-medium heat until they set.
   Here’s a little tip: When the eggs are looking close to done, but still transparent in the middle, take them off of the heat and just let them sit, covered. This will help them finish gelling in the center without overcooking the yolks.
2. Make your bruschetta relish. Chop up your tomatoes, finely chop the basil, and put them together in a bowl. Add the smashed clove of garlic, the olive oil, vinegar, a couple pinches of salt, and a grind of fresh black pepper. Mix it up and let is sit there until your eggs are done.
3. Assemble. Slide your eggs onto a plate, and top with the bruschetta relish, leaving the garlic in the bowl. Top with freshly grated parmesan. Live a little. (And yes, after I took this picture I doubled the amount of cheese. Because I like to enjoy life.)
4. Enjoy!

This easy dish is great for weekday mornings when you’re just cooking for yourself and have 15 minutes at your disposal to make something really pleasurable, and it also works very well as a weekend brunch for your family or friends. Although it won’t be quite as pretty, you can cook quite a few eggs in a large pan, make a big batch of the bruschetta relish, and then assemble individual servings from the pan of eggs. We have a lot of small skillets so we can cook eggs like this for up to four people at a time. There are lots of ways to do this right, of course!

I hope this breakfast will make your mornings fantastic and delicious.