Summer Eggs

When we got home from the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday, Larry started squeezing oranges for juice while I headed into the garden to pick basil and tomatoes for this brunch dish that is only as good as the tomatoes it's made with.

I poached eggs in a simple sauce of tomatoes and basil, then served it with fresh baguette and butter to sop up the sauce.

Summer on a plate.

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup thick kefir or Greek yogurt or crème fraîche
1/4 cup chopped basil
4 eggs

Warm the oil in a small skillet. (I use an 8-inch stainless steel skillet.) Sauté the garlic until fragrant, then add the tomatoes. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and are juicy. Add the kefir and cook another 3 minutes or so until thickened. (Kefir and yogurt might crack but they still look and taste delicious.) Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the sauce evenly in the pan, make 4 slight indentations, and crack the eggs into them. Cover and cook until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny, about 5 minutes.

Serve the eggs with lots of sauce and baguette and butter on the side.

Serves 2

(Make sure to eat all of it at one sitting — that won't be difficult. It does not keep well because the egg white moves through the sauce — fine for breakfast but weird to pour over spaghetti later.  You can reserve some of the sauce before putting the eggs in. It's great over pasta or rice. Or on bruschetta. Or eaten with a spoon. Simple is so often the best.)