This meal goes by many names, but I call it “bird nest”. Essentially, it is an egg cooked in a (holed) slice of bread. This past Sunday, I made a messy version of the bird nest. Cooked lightly with butter and seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and smoked red pepper flakes, the bird nest made the ideal Sunday brunch.

And while I generally pay moderate allegiance to food combining principles, and this combo violates a cardinal rule (don’t eat a starch and protein in the same meal [i.e. bread and egg]) in the whole food combining scheme, I find it a worthy violation.

Cut a thick slice of your favorite bread, but make sure your choice is not too dense. Pull an egg-sized hole chunk directly out of the middle of the slice.

In a lightly buttered saucepan, begin to brown one side of the bread. Drop a 1/2 tbsp of butter in the center of the hole in the bread and crack the egg on top.

You can either let the egg cook fully in the confines of the bread, or let it drain out to have a more earthy, wooden table vibe to it. We Turks are all about dipping and cleaning our plates with bread, so I let my egg drain out of the side. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Wait until the egg reaches your level of preference (i.e. easy, over easy, etc.) and remove from the heat. Eat directly from the pan, using the bread as your utensil.

The bottom is buttery crisp, but the top is light, airy and warm. The contrast perfectly balances the seasoned egg.

The perfect savory Sunday brunch. But, if you crave a little more sweetness, drizzle honey of maple syrup, smear with your favorite jam, or eat aside fruit.

Bon Appetit!

xo Aylin