Soft Boiled Eggs

As you may have gathered, I'm the primary cook in our home. The husband, however, has several specialties. He is the ultimate grill-master, for one. (His lime cilantro marinade is proof of that.) He is also the breakfast expert in our family. His pancakes are light, fluffy, and delicious. Waffles? They're sublime. And eggs are his bailiwick.

Today's recipe is a family tradition for the husband. These are the eggs his grandma made for him when he was a little boy. It took him many, many Saturdays to perfect her recipe, which he developed himself. They don't look overly swanky, but you won't notice when you're shoveling buttery toast dripping with rich egg yolks into your mouth.

So, without further ado, the husband cooks...

Soft Boiled Eggs
Serves: 1

3 eggs, preferably room temperature
2 slices bread
Butter (lots)
Salt and pepper (lots)

Bring a pretty full pan of water to a boil. Add eggs, cover, and turn off the heat. Let the eggs sit in the water for about 6 minutes until they are soft boiled. (If you have a little, red egg thermometer like the one pictured in our pan below, it will let you know when they're at this stage.) While you're waiting, toast the bread to your desired crunchiness. Using your implement of choice (we go with the pasta spoon), fish the eggs out of the hot water.

Rinse the eggs under cold water so they don't continue cooking. You want those yolks to stay runny and not set up all the way. 

Take a sharp knife and give each egg a swift whack right through the middle. The sunshine yellow yolk will reveal itself in all its glory. 

Use a spoon to scoop out the eggs and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. At this point, you could probably serve the eggs as is with toast on the side, but then it wouldn't be the husband's soft boiled eggs. Read on to learn the technique he learned from his grandma. 

Schmear lots of butter on your toast. 

Place the buttered sides of your toast together, forming a butter sandwich, and rip the break into bite-sized pieces. 

Pile the toast pieces on top of your soft boiled eggs. 

Stir it all together, and eat it as one delicious, yolky, buttery, mess. Remember your childhood days with grandma, and smile.