Vintage Eggs
MARCH 2021
VINTAGE EGGS –
I love to serve a breakfast entrée called “Vintage Eggs.” (More on the name later.) This dish uses all fresh ingredients, and its recipe is very flexible. You can adjust the amount of mushrooms, scallions or spinach to your taste, but just don’t leave out the tarragon and nutmeg. I serve the eggs with link sausage made right here in Maine and with one of our homemade breads such as orange poppyseed bread, banana bread or English muffin bread.
The name of the dish mirrors the adaptability of its recipe. I first called it “Deconstructed Eggs Florentine,” but that was quite a mouthful for me to say to our guests before I had had my second cup of coffee. As I was casting about for a new name, several guests suggested “Eggs Janis,” so that was the name for a while. But I never felt entirely comfortable setting a plate in front of our guests and telling them the dish was named after me. Ultimately, my daughters, who love to thrift shop, suggested the name “Vintage Eggs” to recognize that part of the dish comes from a recipe originally published in the 1940s. So “Vintage Eggs” it is, at least until we come up with a new name! I hope you enjoy this breakfast from the Camden Maine Stay Inn.
Janis Kesser, Camden Maine Stay Inn
INGREDIENTS
- 2 whole mushrooms, sliced
- Salt and pepper
- Tarragon
- 1 scallion, sliced with white and green parts separated
- 2-3 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
- Nutmeg
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup of half & half
- 2 tablespoons of grated Swiss cheese
- 2 tablespoons of grated cheddar cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium skillet, melt a dab of butter and a splash of olive oil.
- Sauté mushrooms with salt, pepper and dash of tarragon.
- Add all of the white pieces of the scallion and some of the green and sauté for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add two handfuls of spinach to the skillet. When spinach begins to wilt, season with salt and pepper to taste and a dash of nutmeg. Add more spinach if you like.
- Meanwhile, in a small skillet warm half & half until steaming, but do not bring to a boil.
- Break eggs in two ramekins. Slowly pour eggs in the cream. Poach eggs until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. It helps to spoon the cream on top of the yolks.
- Remove cooked eggs with a slotted spoon to a plate.
- Add cheeses and salt and pepper to the cream and cook until cheese is melted.
- Divide the spinach and mushroom mixture on two plates and top with the poached eggs. Spoon the sauce over the eggs and garnish with the remaining scallion greens.
- Serves 2 people.
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