Eggs in a Hole (aka Powder Puff Eggs)



Cooking Eggs in a Hole




Eggs in a Hole

 Behold one of my tried and true recipes, the much-loved Eggs in a Hole.  In this recipe, an egg is cooked inside the center of a piece of toast. 

Growing up, we had these eggs almost every week.  I've seen them called many different things, but these eggs were called "Powder Puff Eggs" when I was growing up.  I have no idea why.  There is nothing about these eggs that is "puffy," and there's certainly no form of "powder" involved.  Calling them "Eggs in a Hole" may seem more fitting for you, but I'll continue my tradition of calling them Powder Puff Eggs.

These eggs were so special to me that I even mailed the recipe to a newspaper columnist when I was ten.  Imagine my glee when I opened up my local paper at age ten and saw my first recipe published!  Apparently, the columnist became smitten with this easy dish too. 

The best part of these eggs in the hole made from the center of the bread.  The circle of bread gets toasted in the pan, and you create a perfect tool which can be used for dunking into the runny egg center.  The key is being able to cook the egg so the yolk is firm but still a bit runny. On this day, my husband wanted his yolks broken.  I overcooked my yolk. Looks like I'll need to make another one soon!

Eggs in a Hole (aka Powder Puff Eggs)

For each serving you will need:

Butter
Two slices of bread
Two eggs
Salt & Pepper

First, preheat your frying pan over medium high heat.  Next, cut a hole in the center of each slice of bread.  You can use a small juice glass, or a biscuit cutter.  Melt butter in the pan.  Place your bread slices and holes in the pan, and then crack an egg in the center hole of each slice.  After the bread has browned, flip and cook until egg is cooked to your liking.  

German Puffy Pancake

Lazy weekend mornings are rare in this household, so a special breakfast seems fitting when one comes around.  I grew up on what my Mom called "Bickford's Apple Pancake," which is outrageously decadent and delicious.  Have you had one?  Apple slices are smothered in brown sugar and butter, then surrounded by a puffy pancake. 

I found the recipe for this German Pancake in my Woman's Day magazine and made some minor changes.  The main difference between my Mom's Apple Pancake recipe and this German Pancake is the lack of apples.  It still has the wow factor of watching the pancake puff and creep up the side of the pan.  I must confess that I sat on my kitchen floor and watched it cook through the oven window.

The recipe allegedly serves four, but I feel two is more like it.  Plan on making this one soon.  It would make a mighty fine weeknight dinner too!

German Pancake

4 eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used skim, but whole would be even better)
1/2 cup flour
1 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
2 T butter
Powdered sugar for dusting

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla and salt until well combined.  Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Add the butter and melt.  Add the batter, and transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar or serve with strawberry jam if desired. 

Tossed Salad and Omelet

Tonight I spied some leftover Spam (eek!) in the fridge, so I cut a slice of it into tiny pieces and sauteed it with a bit of onion and red pepper. Next, this salty mixture was added to the middle of this soft, creamy omelet, along with a few crumbles of feta cheese. It was just enough after a long night at the baseball fields.

Have you ever eaten an omelet and a salad together? I think they go very well together(crunchy, creamy). I must confess, however, the first time I heard this idea was while watching Frasier. ("Now I don't know what to with those tossed salads and scrambled eggs...") Good night everybody!