A gift from Iceland

Dylan's graduation was followed up by a trip to Iceland and Paris. Dylan put some real thought into his gifts and brought me back some flaky Icelandic Black Lava Salt to add to my collection.

The black salt made me think about a little riff on my usual breakfast after running with the Saturday Morning Crew and visiting the City Market: two super-fresh eggs from Free Union Grass Farm with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. This is the reverse of that—eggs with black salt and white pepper—but of course you can go with the usual combination and they'll be just as good. If you're getting fresh eggs at the market, don't forget to pick up some bread from MarieBette, too, to dip into the runny yolks.

Fried Eggs Sunny Side Up 

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated #123, July/Aug 2013 (video)

Time from start to finish: 7 minutes

1 teaspoon oil
2 farm-fresh eggs
flaky sea salt, such as Maldon or fleur de sel
freshly ground black pepper
a pat of butter

    1. Heat the oil over medium heat in an 8-inch nonstick skillet that has a lid. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
    2. Increase the heat to medium-high and heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the butter and swirl to coat the pan. Pour in the eggs, cover the pan, and fry for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Let stand, still covered, for 1 minute or so for soft yolks, and up to 2 minutes depending on how set you like the yolks to be. If you need to check the eggs for doneness, crack the lid ever so slightly to take a quick peek, then re-cover quickly if you want the eggs more cooked. Taste for seasoning. Serve promptly with good, fresh bread for dipping into the yolks. Serves one.