M.F.K. Fisher: Eggs in Hell

E is for Eggs in Hell.

Yes, I skipped D (Date Delight). I'm working on scaling down the recipe since my husband told me he does not like dates.

Anyway: Eggs in Hell.

I am terrible at cooking eggs. Growing up, my mother only ever scrambled eggs and I don't recall my father ever doing anything with eggs, besides eating the scrambled eggs. In college, a guy I didn't date--it's important to distinguish because he thought we were dating and broke up with me, for the record, we went to the movies once and I hated the movie--rudely made fun of me for not knowing how to make an omelette. I've since learned how--carefully and loaded with good things like avocado.

Even given my inexperience with eggs, I actually thought eggs in hell would be easy. In How to Cook a Wolf, Fisher describes it as an egg broken and cooked into a mixture of onions, garlic, herbs, and tomato sauce ("Italian kind is best, but even catsup will do if you cut down on spices"), then served on a slice of thin French bread, maybe dusted with Parmesan.

Fisher had daughters, so she might understand that I was not into cooking eggs in hell tonight while sleep training my 6 month old. Even though my husband graciously took over the bedtime duty, hearing the cries ... distracted me and the eggs were overcooked. Boiled. They were probably supposed to be runny. Oh, and I served them over thin sandwich bread since that's what we had in the house.

Sigh. He's asleep now and I was tempted to pour Irish Cream over chocolate ice cream for dessert but settled for a peanut butter Popsicle and a banana Popsicle instead, to eat down the food in the freezer by the end of the year.

Next up: Date Delight for one, and Basic Foo Yeung (maybe after Christmas).