Eggs on Horseback (or whatever you call it)

A friend of mine acquired quail eggs in her weekly CSA food share and offered them to me. I was happy to take them off her hands, to find a use and to see if they tasted any different than chicken eggs. I looked up recipes calling for quail eggs, and the often suggested use was pickling the eggs, which personally does not sound very appetizing to me.

Quail Eggs from Double Star Farms, Blueford, IL

Given that the eggs are tiny and “cute” I thought it would be fun to use the eggs in a kid friendly breakfast dish. I settled on using the eggs in a recipe that reminds me of my childhood. I soon realized that this dish conveys vivid memories for many people and goes by many different names.

Great Harvest 9-Grain Bread

My mom called the dish “Eggs on Horseback” probably a derivative name from the more popular nickname “Cowboy Eggs”.  Others call the recipe “Eggs in the Hole”, “Eggs in a Basket”, “Eggs in Toast” or “Eggs in a Frame”. Still others call the dish, “Bull's Eye Eggs”, “Bird’s Nest”, “One-Eyed Jacks” or “Toad in the Hole” (although apparently “Toad in the Hole” is actually a traditional English dish comprised of sausage and Yorkshire pudding).

What did your family call this dish when you were growing up?

Eggs on Horseback (or whatever you call it)

1. Butter both sides of sliced bread

2. Make a hole in each slice of bread with a shot glass.

3. Break open quail eggs into the hole in the bread (yes of course use regular eggs if you don’t have quail eggs); salt & pepper to taste.

4. Bake in 350 oven for about 5 minutes until eggs are soft set and bread is lightly toasted.

5. Top with Smoked Salmon (or shredded cheddar); garnish with chives.

 until next time...