Quick. Easy. Impressive. These eggs come to the party on open sandwiches and fancy bruschetta.
Egg open sandwiches
If you’re looking for a quick, tasty and impressive open sandwich, eggs make the perfect topping. Make the basic recipe, and then go wild with additional fillings and garnishes. This makes enough for three people (or six if you have one slice each).
You’ll need: 6 eggs … 2 hard boiled, shelled and sliced thinly, 2 hard boiled and mashed with a little mayo, and 2 hard boiled and mashed with a little mayo and curry paste; 6 slices bread of your choice (white/whole-wheat/seeded/rye); 3 to 4 Tbsp butter, room temperature; soft lettuce leaves, such as butter lettuce, washed and patted dry.
For the toppings: Pickled red onions, pickled gherkins, radish slices, beetroot, grated or slices, crispy fried onion, rocket leaves, washed and dried.
Other optional toppings: carrot ribbons, smoked paprika, thinly sliced tomatoes, cucumber slices, Japanese mayo, Mustard butter
To make: Butter each slice of bread and place a leaf of lettuce on top. Top first with a hearty egg filling (use the different egg fillings for each), and then garnish with your selection of garnishes.
Tip: Open sandwiches are a good way to use up leftovers. Chop leftover cold meat with a little mayo, and top with sliced egg and other toppings.
Garnishes can be prepared in advance and stored until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches. Use the above suggestions in any kind of combinations and, if you have leftover garnishes, they can go into a salad to serve alongside the sandwich.
The ultimate egg salad sandwich
What’s a road trip without an egg sandwich. A sad road trip indeed. This egg salad makes a delicious filling for rolls, baguettes or health bread and is perfect for lunch boxes and road trips, as it keeps well in a sealed container in the fridge for two to three days. Serves six.
You’ll need: 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled; 1/3 cup mayonnaise; 2 tsp whole grain mustard; 1 tsp fresh lemon juice; 1/2 stalk celery, very finely chopped; 2 Tbsp finely chopped chives; salt and pepper to taste; paprika to sprinkle; sliced health bread or baguette, to serve; fresh chives to garnish
To make: Roughly chop all (or only four if you want some whole eggs for presentation) hard-boiled eggs and transfer to a medium bowl. Mash slightly with a fork to break up yolks.
Add mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, celery and chives and mix until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper.
If using a baguette, slice in half lengthwise. Spread the egg salad on the bottom half of your bagette or health bread, sprinkle with paprika and a few chopped chives and top with the other half of the baguette or slice of bread.
Croque Madame
The ooh la la version of a toastie with fried egg! Serves two.
You’ll need: For the cheese sauce 1 Tbsp butter; 1 Tbsp flour; 2/3 cup milk; pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper; pinch of ground nutmeg; about ¼ cup grated mature cheddar or Gruyère cheese.
For the Croque-Madame 4 slices thick sour dough or country loaf; 2 Tbsp softened butter; 2 Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard; 1/2 cup cheese sauce (as above); 6 thin slices ham; about 1 cup) grated mature cheddar or Gruyère cheese, divided.
For the eggs 1 Tbsp butter; 2 large eggs; salt, for sprinkling; freshly ground black pepper.
To make: Preheat oven to 180°C.
Start by making a cheese sauce. In a small sauceapan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and stir for about one minute. Gradually whisk in milk and add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly and cook until sauce thickens, about two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
To assemble the Croque-Madame’s: lightly toast the bread. Spread with softened butter on each slice, then flip over two slices and spread each with 1 tsp mustard and 1 Tbsp cheese sauce. Top each slice with 3 slices ham, ¼ cup cheese and the remaining bread slices. Spread the tops of each sandwich with 2 Tbsp sauce and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
Place sandwiches on a baking tray and bake until cheese is melted and golden brown on top, about 15 to 18 minutes.
For the eggs, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Crack in the eggs and fry until whites are set, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and top each sandwich with an egg. Serve immediately.
Bruschetta
Egg on toast. But the fancy version. Serves four.
You’ll need: 2 Tbsp olive oil; 400-500g rump steak; 2 whole garlic cloves, crushed; 5 thyme sprigs, stripped; 1 Tbsp butter; 500ml boiling water; 8 eggs; 1 Tbsp white vinegar; 8 slices thick French or Ciabatta bread; 2 medium avocados; 10g wild rocket
For the dressing ½ cup plain yogurt; ¼ cup olive oil; ¼ cup smooth Dijon mustard; 3 – 4 Tbsp honey, to taste; 2 Tbsp lemon juice; 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice; 1 tsp crushed garlic; salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make: In a large saucepan on medium to high heat, add cooking oil and coat the pan well. Place the rump steak in the pan, crushed garlic cloves, thyme and butter. Cook evenly for two to three minutes on each side, keep it a little bit longer on the fatty side to get a nice crisp and set aside to let it rest. Do not slice yet.
For the poached eggs, pour the 500ml boiling water and vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to low. Crack open the eggs one at a time into separate ramekins or egg poaching cups. Drop the poaching cups into the water. For a firm white and runny yolk, you’ll want to poach for three to four minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon once done to your liking and set aside.
For the dressing, place all the dressing ingredients into a 500ml glass jar and whisk or shake well until well blended. Add more honey if you prefer a sweeter dressing.
To assemble, toast the bread slices, top with avocado slices, wild rocket, steak slithers, poached egg and finish off with creamy dressing.
Complied by: KYM ARGO Recipes and images: The South African Poultry Association
