Like a hard cheese, cured yolks can quickly add savory depth and complexity to a wide range of foods—soups, salads, pastas, and even meats.
The perfect fried egg sandwich means different things to different people. Find just the right one and you are guaranteed bliss for many mornings (or late nights!) to come. For me, a lot has to do with the layering strategy (a well-thought-out stack can help keep layers from sliding out the side of the sandwich!), as well as how the eggs are cooked (I like mine fried with edges slightly crispy, and yolk just runny enough to coat everything when you take a bite, without getting lost to the plate). Another equally important factor is the inclusion of a little acidic tang to play off the fat of the egg yolk and cheese. My answer to this is mustard and pickles. I discovered these unconventional additions when I was in college in Montreal, and often frequented a burger joint called La Paryse. My favorite dish on the menu was the egg sandwich with pickles. Now, when I wake up a little rough around the edges and need a substantial meal to start the day, this is it.
Eggs are the poster child for sous vide cooking: The technique produces eggs with unique texture, and the method is hands-off and easily scalable.
BACCALÀ STUFATO CON LATTE | salt cod cooked in milk
Scotch eggs are pub snacks. Cut in half, fresh from the fryer, egg yolk gently relenting, they are beautiful.
Before the conflict began, there was a little restaurant in a hidden corner of a back alley in Aleppo’s Old City, next to the old Jewish cemetery. The restaurant was called the King of Omelettes (Malik Al Ijja) and aptly named it was, too. The place was so tiny, they could only cram in two customers at a time, and there was only one thing on the menu: Aleppian Omelettes. People from all around the ancient souq flocked to it every lunchtime and lined up to get a taste. Celebrities from all over Syria came to visit and the owner proudly covered his front window with pictures of himself and the famous people. The place was shabby and unpretentious, and it operated for generations without ever changing a thing. We’re not sure whether this restaurant is still there. We loved it, and now we’re passing on its secret.
Here’s the recipe for the miraculous soufflé that Daisy Bonner prepared the day that her beloved president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, died. Bonner always served this dish with stuffed baked tomatoes, peas, plain lettuce salad with French dressing, Melba toast, and coffee.
Baked in butter and then crowned with more of it, this puffy golden pancake is similar to a popover in texture with a moist eggy interior and crispy outside. And good for breakfast or dessert, depending how you top it.
After a week and a half in Turkey, this was the one dish that my sister, my wife, and I were consistently craving. Menemen is a dish of eggs scrambled just until barely set, mixed with tomatoes, chilies, and tons of olive oil. I love to eat it with a side of salty cheese, olives, and some good crusty bread.