This is more of a recipe than a main blog post but I like it here so it stays here. I want to talk about the benefits of having a little bantam frizzled cochin named Phyllis. Well, the name doesn’t really matter but when you look like Phyllis Diller you sort of have to go with it. This is Phyllis on the right with her ex, who had to go live with Farmer Fred after displaying his inner freak. Phyllis is at the very bottom of the pecking order and is missing feathers from her back because the other girls peck her. But she is a sweet little thing and she is sort of filling the void left when I lost my beloved Blind Lucy.
Phyllis lays a tiny brown egg every other day. She always uses the same nest box and was observed today collecting feathers and shavings from the box nest door and depositing them on her little egg. Cochins are notoriously broody so I suppose she was hiding the egg from me so she could start building a clutch to sit on. The problem is, the eggs aren’t fertile. There is no rooster. Plus, I was planning to make Michael’s favorite Eggs-in-a-Hole for dinner and I needed that little egg more than she did.
I have never eaten one of these concoctions, preferring my eggs scrambled. But Michael loves them and was actually the one who taught me to make them. Have you made them before? It’s easy and if you have a bantam chicken you can even make one with two eggs! Here’s how:
You’ll need one egg for every slice of bread. If you have a bantam chicken you’ll need one more egg than slice of bread.
Melt butter on a griddle over low heat. It is easier than spreading it on the bread then cutting out the hole or trying to spread it on the bread after the whole is cut out.
Some people just tear a hole in the bread while others use fancy heart shaped cookie cutters to make the hole. I prefer a fluted biscuit cutter. Cut one hole in each slice of bread and two for the bantam eggs.
Place the bread, including the cut-outs on the griddle with the melted butter. Turn them over and scoot them around until they are buttered on both sides. Then add a small dot of butter to each hole.
Crack an egg into each hole being careful not to break the yolk. That is important to the people who like these things.
Add a little salt and pepper to each egg. With the heat on low cook until the bread is toasted on one side then carefully flip them over without breaking the yolks.
When the white is set and the eggs still runny remove from the griddle.
Serve hot off the grill with bacon. Put the toasted cut-outs back on top of the eggs. They are good for dipping in the soft yolks.
Michael says the two single eggs were overcooked but the Phyllis eggs were done perfectly. I’ll let her know in the morning and toss her an extra handful of scratch.
Paula@SweetPea says
Boy does this look good! I love eggs and haven’t thought about this breakfast dish in a long time. Thanks for sharing with this week’s Throwback Thursday party.
Gloria @ Simply Gloria says
I love the name you have her. Poor girl…no one wants to leave her alone. You seriously cracked me up when you talked about the ex…hilarious and made me laugh out loud! Love how you did these eggs. Never thought of doing 2 little holes in the bread. Going to do that in the morning for me and the kiddos. (=
MichaelO says
I know. Mary is a crack up sometimes. Hey, thanks Gloria for stopping in. Cya soon 😉
kathy says
Yummy! Now I'm hungry…..
The Other Mary says
Wow, that's looks like something the grandson would love to help me make next time he's over!! Thanks!