A Commanding Breakfast: Turkish Eggs

Mornings are meant to be rejuvenating.

Sure, we aren’t always on the best terms with the sun when it crests the horizon and beckons the day to begin. I’m certainly never one to throw my hands up in excitement unless I have a solid 2 cups of coffee delivered directly to my bloodstream in the morning (usually thanks to Dylan setting up the french press the night before). Yet, nothing gets my energy flowing more than a majestic, flavorful breakfast that doesn’t require me to lay out a veritable shopping cart full of ingredients. There’s beauty in taking your mornings at your own pace, without having to sacrifice any of the flavor with some quick shortcuts.

That’s where this breakfast comes in: Turkish Eggs.

Bask in this radiance!

Called Cilbir in its native tongue, this delectable dish is where. it’s. at. The combination of rustic, garlicky yogurt with a pillow-y poached egg, and coated in a decadently spicy browned butter sauce gives your taste buds the kick they need to get your whole body moving!

Look at how foamy and delicious that is!

The best part? Heat is optional! The more traditional Aleppo pepper can be easily substituted for other spices, such as the sweet and smoky freshly roasted paprika Purple Sage Farms grinds for us.  I personally prefer the change. The nutty browned butter gains a regal heartiness with the addition of smoky flavor, and the subtle sweetness binds perfectly with the fresh garlicky yogurt. Pop a poached egg and watch the flavors swirl into an energetic maelstrom!

The moment of impact has never been so demanding! A crusty bread provides the best (and most delicious) entertainment!

The real selling point for me on this was how amazing this can be, and it only takes a few minutes to put together! And just like that, this is my go-to breakfast. As a bariatric patient with a limited diet, sometimes it feels like jumping through hurdles to be able to have fulfilling, flavorful food. This takes those worries and tosses them out the window where they belong. It’s just that simple!

No limitations here! You’ll be cleaning the bowl finishing every last bit of these eggs!

To start off, mix up this delicious garlicky yogurt. As the name suggests, there’s only two ingredients here: Roasted Garlic and Yogurt. Dylan and I always make it a point to have a couple heads worth of roasted garlic on hand in case we need to add some deep rustic undertones to a dish at the last second.  We use yogurt from Feathers & Horns Dairy, which comes fresh every week from their farm in Boise. We make it a habit to visit every week at the Boise Farmer’s Market , especially to check up on how our favorite bovine Flankenstein is doing (That name is seriously one of the most adorable you’ve ever heard, right?!). Simply mince up the hearty roasted garlic and add it directly into the yogurt! Make sure to stir it together to make it nice and cohesive.

This should be its own food group.

Next is to set a small saucepan with water to boil. While that’s coming to heat, make the butter sauce! In a skillet (We use cast iron), melt 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter on medium heat, and boil away any of the water that’s in the butter itself, about 2 to 3 minutes or so. You’ll know its ready when the bubbling stops, and this hazelnut hue has taken over the pan. Remove it from the heat, and sprinkle in a generous teaspoon of the Paprika or Aleppo Pepper. It should get very angry for a few minutes, foaming up in a symphony of aromas to stimulate the senses even more! Set aside and keep slightly warm while you poach the egg.

Foamy goodness!

Poached eggs for us are notoriously fickle, and it took us a while during our culinary adventures to find a method that we can honestly swear by without having to yell “NO WHAMMIES” at the stove top. While the typical whirlpool of doom is a perfectly adequate method of poaching, we take a gentler approach. We keep the water just below a simmer and add our acid (in this case, lemon juice) directly onto the egg white prior to setting it adrift in the warm water. Lastly (and most importantly), we drain some of the watery bits off the egg to help prevent featheriness, which just doesn’t taste too good. We have a post planned to go in depth into that process, so look forward to it!

I could fall asleep on this pillow-y goodness!

Now, all that’s left to do is to put it all together! Start with some yummy garlicky yoghurt on the bottom, then carefully place the pillow-y poached egg right on top. Spoon some of the delectable butter sauce, and finish it all off with some flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a mince of fresh dill.

A finished dish! Make no mistakes, this will fill you up!

And that’s all there is to it! A delicious, nutritious meal to get your day going. For all you toast lovers out there, I HIGHLY recommend taking some of the crustiest bread you have, and using it for dipping. We get ours from Acme Bakeshop (Their Caraway Rye is in our photos) and Gaston’s Bakery. Oh my goodness, its so wholesome! Plus, the texture takes this to a completely new level.

A crescendo of beauty! Seriously, enjoying food this much should be illegal!

Recipe: Turkish Eggs

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain yogurt

• 4 cloves roasted garlic (halve this amount if using raw Garlic!)

• 3 eggs

• A few dashes of Lemon Juice

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter (Don’t use salted! Ever!)

• 1 teaspoon Sweet, Smoked Paprika (or Aleppo Pepper flakes, for the traditionalists out there)

• 1-2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill

• Sea Salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1.       Place a small saucepan with water onto the stove, and heat until the water is just below a simmer.

2.       While the pan heats up, mince the cloves of garlic finely, and then mix them into the yogurt.

3.       Prepare the butter sauce. In a skillet, add the butter and let it melt over medium heat. After the water has boiled out and the butter has turned a rustic brown, add the paprika or pepper flakes. The butter should foam immediately.

4.       Poach the egg. Crack the egg on a flat surface, and transfer to a slotted metal spoon or a mesh strainer. Once the watery bits have drained, transfer the egg into a small bowl or ladle, and add a splash of lemon juice. Then, place the egg gently into the just-below-a-simmer water. Move it infrequently, only enough to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom. Remove the egg once it is cooked and begins to float, about 4 minutes.

5. Serve the Turkish Eggs. In a shallow bowl, add about a third of the garlicky yogurt. Then, gently place a pillow-y poached egg into the center of the dish. Next, spoon the paprika butter sauce over the egg and around the sides of the yogurt. Finally, dress the Turkish Eggs with a fine dusting of minced dill, salt, and pepper.