I used to hate boiled eggs. Scratch that, I hate most hard boiled eggs … the kind that are tinged with green, are are so dry and pasty it feels like I’m chewing on an old egg-flavoured sponge. *shiver*
Being of of Czech descent I grew up a world in which sliced eggs graced many food items, most notably, open-faced sandwiches. The concept of the open-faced sandwich doesn’t really exist here, which is why someone invented that special designation of “open-faced” so it cannot be confused with the regular term of “sandwich.” Seems like most people are all about slapping that second piece of bread on top.
I grew up eating these open-faced things, called chlebícky. The word actually translates to “little sandwich.” (I was going to write out the phonetics but the first syllable sounds like a blocked airway and I can’t think of how to write that out). Chlebícky almost always had a sliced egg on top. Chlebícky also feature different combinations of ham, egg or potato or crab salad, gherkins, salami, and cheese on a thin slice of baguette, maybe with adorned with a tomato or bit of red pepper for decoration. When I was in Prague there were special lunch counters devoted only to chlebícky.
But this post is about the eggs. I thought I hated them, and then, realized I didn’t.
This is the only way I like to eat hard-boiled eggs.
- 1. Pierce a tiny hole at the very top of your egg. (Our egg-piercing tool has disappeared, so we use a corn holder.) Mark insists this cuts the risk of the egg cracking, but I’m not so sure. This is tricky business and takes practice.
- 2. Place egg into pot of rapidly boiling water. There should be enough water to cover your egg. If you’ve pierced the eggshell you’ll see a stream of bubbles come out of the egg. I guess that’s air escaping and that’s a good thing.
- 3. Turn heat down to a simmer (#3 on our stove).
- 4. Set timer for 10:30. (This ensures the egg is exactly how I like it, softly hard-boiled! Picky? You’re right.)
- 5. Rinse under cold running water.
- 6. Enjoy with a sprinkle of sea salt.
How do you like your eggs? And what are your feelings about open-faced sandwiches? ;)
