Kit's Goldenrod Eggs

An interesting way to use up leftovers or just change up breakfast!

Despite being the most important meal of the day, I often skip breakfast. I'm rarely up early enough on the weekends to make breakfast at a reasonable hour, and I don't have enough time in the morning on weekdays to whip together anything more complicated than some fruit and yogurt... which Chobani has helpfully mixed together for me. That's more or less as crazy as I'm ever likely to get with breakfast during the week, especially because I'm trying to eat healthier, and most of the breakfast items I really like tend to be more dessert than breakfast.

But I'm still definitely interested in breakfast food, and I find myself flipping through cookbooks fantasizing about enjoying delicious pancakes, waffles and bacon. Sometimes, the promise of some tasty scrambled eggs is more than enough to make my mouth water, and I do enjoy a good hard boiled egg sometimes, too.

Goldenrod eggs are basically souped up hard boiled eggs and toast, both of which are things I definitely enjoy on their own, so I thought hey, this might be great! This didn't exactly live up to my personal fantasy of a delicious breakfast treat, but if you're a fan of hard boiled eggs and toast, this might be an interesting twist if you're ever looking to feed a crowd or try something a little different one morning.

During the Depression, families like Kit's raised chickens as a way to earn a little extra income from selling or trading the eggs to their neighbors for other goods and services, and as a cheaper way to have access to fresh eggs, a good source of protein that can create very filling meals, which is a must when you don't have much food to put on the table. Kit's Cooking Studio includes this recipe for goldenrod eggs, and with the recent release of her chicken coop outfit, I thought hey, might as well give this one a spin!

What are goldenrod eggs? Creamed eggs on toast. This name just sounds prettier! And it has to do with the fact that some of the yolks are sprinkled on top of the rest of the egg mush, giving it a prettier look than if it was just gooey eggs smeared on toast.

While this dish has history going back to its first appearance in a cookbook in 1896, it's certainly a Depression era staple because it's a good way of stretching simple ingredients and can help reuse leftovers, too. The recipe in Kit's Cooking Studio is very basic, but other recipes recommend making the gravy with a variety of sauces and spices, or adding things like chives or pickles to give it a different flavor and texture. You can also add any leftover meat or vegetables you might have in the house - ham, carrots, peas chicken, even lobster! It's apparently quite forgiving, and during a time where you didn't want to waste any food, this was definitely a good recipe to have on hand. The cookbook says this dish is "elegant enough to serve for supper", and while I'm not sure it would appear on a modern supper table, I definitely get how this would be a nice thing to dig into at the end of the day in the 30's.

I couldn't sell my brother on trying it with me, so I halved the recipe to give me less food to eat... or less to throw out if this turned out to be disgusting. (In all seriousness, I hate wasting food and really have to dislike something to be willing to throw it away. Even then, I try and offer it to someone else to finish.) I started off with three hard boiled eggs instead of six, which I halved and separated the whites from the yolks. The whites got roughly chopped up, and the yolks are pushed through a sieve to get them a nice even texture.

Next, you make your gravy. It's actually a Béchamel sauce, which is a white sauce made from a roux and milk. I melted two tablespoons of butter in a pan and then added a fourth of a cup of flour, salt and pepper, mixing it together over the heat until it was well combined and thick. I then added a cup of hot milk and slowly added it to the flour, mixing well. This then went back on the burner and was stirred until it boiled, and then cooked for three more minutes.

I was actually surprised at how easily this went for me. Béchamel sauce is an important part of making my mom's homemade mac and cheese, and it can be tricky to get right even if you've made it several times. Fortunately, this one turned out nice and thick very quickly.

Once it's done, you add in all your egg whites and half your egg yolks. Mix it all together and then toast a couple pieces of bread. I cut mine into triangles because it looks snazzier.

Once your toast is done, pour the creamed eggs onto them. Sprinkle the other half of the yolks and some chopped parsley on top, and you're good to go!

While this wasn't my favorite thing I've ever made for the blog, it's another Depression-era recipe that I don't think I'd mind eating if I really needed to. I can also see how it would be tasty if you threw in a couple more spices or flavors. It's just a little bland on its own, and it's also very, very heavy. While that might be satisfying if I wasn't going to be having anything else to eat for most of the day, I was, and therefore this was a bit on the heavy side for me for breakfast... or even lunch!

But if you're looking for something that's going to keep you full for a long time and happens to be a really easy springboard for lots of different tastes and flavors, definitely give this a try! It's simple to make and looks more complicated than scrambling some eggs if you're ever in charge of a brunch. You could definitely do worse! And if nothing else, it's good practice making a nice roux and thick white sauce.

And I'm never one to turn down practice!