An Cooking

Poached Eggs Asparagus on Grilled Cheese Toast

Hardly a recipe, more of a serving suggestion. The combination of eggs and asparagus on toast is completely classic; I like to throw in a little cheese too. I only had a baguette when I made this, but a more standard sized slice of bread is a better choice in my opinion. 

Garden crunch time is here, so its off to plant things in between rain showers. This has been a lovely spring for rain, now if only the nights would stay decently warm we might get somewhere.

per serving
20 minutes prep time


1 or 2 large eggs
150 to 250 grams (1/3 to 1/2 pound) asparagus
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
1 or 2 slices of sandwich bread
30 to 60 grams  (1 or 2 ounces) Cheddar or other meltable cheese
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put a pot of water with a tablespoon of white vinegar in it on to simmer to poach the eggs, or cook the eggs in the oven, as here. It takes 8 minutes to cook a firm poached egg (pointless, in my opinion, but its what some people want) and 3 or 4 minutes to poach a soft, runny egg. Time them to be done when the toast and asparagus go onto the plate - that process will take about 10 to 12 minutes.

Wash the asparagus, and break off the tough ends. Turn on the oven grill. Toss the asparagus with the oil on a large baking tray, and cook it under the grill for 4 or 6 minutes.(Start hard eggs just before turning.) Turn it over, and add the slices of bread to the tray.  Return it to under the grill, (start soft eggs now) and cook until the bread is toasted.

Turn the bread over, and cover it with the sliced cheese. Return it to under the grill, and cook until melted and bubbly, perhaps a little browned. Put the grilled cheese toasts on serving plates, and cover them with the cooked asparagus. Top with one or two poached eggs, and add salt and pepper as desired.