Recipe #1: Soft-Boiled Eggs on Toast with Maple Fried Bacon

Whether the egg came before the chicken may indeed be up for debate. That the first egg should have been soft-boiled seems inarguable.

The following recipe was cobbled together last fall while at my friend Brennan's apartment in Brooklyn. At the time, he had fresh cherry tomatoes and basil growing on his fire escape and while they added some wonderful seasonal freshness to our brunch, they were inevitably supporting roles. The recipe below contains my now full-proof method for quick, near-perfect soft boiled eggs. Everyone's hardware is different, of course, so it may take a little trial and error; but the goal of a consistently yellow, soft and viscous but not overly runny yolk, and a just-firm-enough white will be had through this recipe or some subtle variation thereof (such that when you put in on toast, table or plate it widens and squats a bit like a reclining fat man on a deck chair) .

Soft-Boiled Eggs on Toast with Maple Fried Bacon

4 eggs
4 strips of bacon
2 large slices of country bread (or any other good bread)
1 tablespoons butter (and 1 for buttering toasted bread)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 handful fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
about a dozen cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
iced water in a medium sized mixing bowl
sea salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sized saucepan, bring about 6 cups of water to an "almost boil" (there should be an abundance of small bubbles collecting on the surfaces of the pot, and maybe a few ascending to freedom above). Hold each egg under warm running water for about 20 seconds to bring their temperature up slightly. With a soup spoon, lower each egg into the saucepan carefully so as not to crack them, and let cook (I nudge them occasionally) for 6 minutes. When the six minutes are up, lazily walk over to the pot and lift each egg out with the spoon and place in the ice water bath for about 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet or heavy duty non-stick pan. Line the bacon strips in the pan making sure that they are completely flat and in contact with the pan. After about three minutes of cooking (or when the bacon looks just cooked) brush the maple syrup on both sides of each piece. Finish cooking for about 1-2 minutes longer.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the basil, tomatoes, olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Place two soft-boiled eggs on each piece of buttered country toast, and slice open the ends with a sharp knife for the drama of it all. Place a small heaping of the tomato mix on each and serve with two slices of the gooey bacon.

Eat, enjoy and ponder that darned question of creation.