Egg on top - new trend?

[sasha1]

Lately I've been reading about sunny side up (runny) eggs on top of gourmet pizza, burgers. I had a wonderful pan seared fish dish at Lucques (in LA) with an egg on top. Is this the new sundried tomato, truffle, foie gras thing? Eggs on top?

[sdnativa]

In 1976 while in Venice, my friends and I got sorta lost in the maze of streets and plopped down at an outdoor restaurant on a tiny piazza. We ordered a pizza which came with an egg broken over the top and partially cooked by the heat of the pizza. We were surprised and delighted. It was fabulous.

[Cebca]

I don't care if it's new or not, it's freaking delicious.

I put one on top of turkey burgers a couple of weeks ago which was awesome and really solved the issue with t burgers sometimes of drying up during cooking (though these burgers were pretty moist themselves). I also like using them in a sort of deconstructed fried rice.

[pikawicca]

You can take this wonderful idea to a whole new level by using super-rich duck eggs -- oh my!

[limster]

I love it when it's just the yolks, as in salted duck egg yolks -- used to flavour many things both sweet and savoury.

[Candy]

I just got A Platter of Figs last weekend and in it is a clear chicken soup with a fried egg in it. Got to try that soon. One of my favorite recipes is a warm salad of lentils on greens with lardons adn a fried or poached egg. That is a classic.

[Uncle Ira]

Never had seen the egg on hamburger thing, but it sounds like something I’d like if the egg wasn't cooked too hard. My local deli has started serving a Great Sandwich that’s grilled caraway rye, pastrami, swiss cheese, a fried egg and this sort of mustardy dressing of theirs. It’s unbelievably good....

Uncle Ira

[hannaone]

Definitely not new. Maybe "rediscovered". Since the early 60's at least. Eggs on burgers at Scotty's in Commerce City. Eggs on steak at almost every country diner I ever visited. Egg on Spaghetti (Mom's).
Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap - Rice with vegetables, meat, hot sauce and an egg on top, served in a hot stone bowl(Korean).

[tokyorosa]

never ate a pizza in japan that didn't have a runny egg on top. took some getting used to.

[OCAnn]

That's why I usually ordered pizza from a US chain in Japan or one of the clubs (restaurants) on base.

[tatertotsrock]

It's all about eggs..think of the great salads you get at french bistros...frisee, lardons, croutons, and a poached egg...little italian places with a grilled piece of yummy bread, some asparagas, topped with a poaced egg...then there are my sandwiches which have bacon, shrimp, cheese, wilted arugala, tomato, and topped with an egg fried in the piggy drippings...yum!

[Paul N]

Yum. What kind of cheese do you use on the bacon and shrimp sandwich?

[tatertotsrock]

Hello Paul N...usually, whatever cheese that's hanging out in my fridge waiting for some love...sometimes some Lamb Chopper, Drippy French Munster (Even good ol' sliced Munster), Manchego, sometimes if there are just a few tiny bits hanging around, I'll use my rasp and grate fluffly clouds of all the cheese on the just-toasted bread, and start packing on the warm goodies from there....yum!

[Paul N]

Thanks, tatertots. I've been experimenting with parmesan, roasted asparagus and bacon (and of course the egg), but fresh shrimp may just be the carbon filament this sandwich needs.

[tatertotsrock]

Yum, Paul N, asparagus and and egg, and bacon, and cheese...one of my favs...actually, I'm not a fan of asparagus in my sandwiches since I love to eat those green little goodies with my fingers...up at Bistro Verdu, they have all those ingredients over toasted bread so you get the best of everything and the fun of eating the green goodies with your fingers.
The Shrimp add that exciting texture to the sandwich and they really go great with the wilted arugala...ah, memories.

[limster]

I've always had a fried egg on top of fried rice ever since i was a kid. It's standard with Nasi Goreng (Malay/Indonesian fried rice) or Nasi Lemak (rice cooked with pandan and coconut milk, with a variety of condiments and side dishes).

[Midlife]

The Fatburger chain has always offered a fried egg as an optional topping on its burgers. I also recall that when McDonalds first opened in Hong Kong they served their burgers with a fried egg on them. Maybe it was just early in the day, or maybe I just imaged it, but I distinctly recall being surprised by it.

[nosey]

I went to college in Lynchburg, VA. There was a place to go at 3 or 4 in the morning that we called the "T". Two inches of grease on the grille was the norm. Typical order for the late night crowd was a Cheesy Western--all the way. It was a cheeseburger with a fried egg on top, it probably had chili and mustard too. To drink, you asked for a glass of the James River(water). Cokes came in bottles and you could only order if you had a seat at one of the few seats. Ten years later we went back for a reunion and someone got the idea to do a "T" run at about 1am (we were getting older). They brought back a big grease covered bag. We all took about 2 bites and said "what were we thinking?"
On a side note about eggs, my niece was visiting from Australia and when we asked how she liked her eggs, she said, "sunny-side up and flipped over!"

[Paul N]

I laughed when I saw this topic, because I've been putting a soft-poached egg on top of everything lately!

It started with roasted vegetable and parmesan sandwhiches (best combo: asparagus and red pepper - runner up: tomato and fresh motz)

But it's also truly amazing on a burger, as I first discovered Argentina almost ten years ago. There even the burgers at McDonalds come with eggs.

[DonShirer]

Back in the 60's (oops, that dates me, doesn't it) I had a restaurant vienerschnitzel with an egg on top. It was good enough to inspire me to invent a version (using a certain commerciall soup as sauce) I called a minestroneschitzel. Surprisingly it did not appeal to the wife.

[kare_raisu]

:)

[dagoose]

Living in Uruguay, they will serve egg on top of ANYTHING. Its called 'a caballo' (on the horse), and as someone else pointed out 'lomo montado' is another dish with an egg on it, 'montado' meaning 'mounted'. That's some gaucho craziness, if you ask me.

But pizza, steak, hamburger, Chivito (crazy uruguayan sandwich aka heart attack in a bun), etc--it will all come with a fried egg on it.

[pattythehorse]

the first time i tried hamburger with egg ontop was in brasil, as far as ai know it is a very common topping there, and quite delicious as well!

[cimui]

Just a thought, but when did we start irradiating eggs? Maybe the collective mind of the restaurant-going public has finally caught on to the idea that raw eggs are safe.

On a different note: has anyone ever had eggs cooked in a Chinese/Japanese/Korean hot pot with the yolks still runny? When you mix the yolk with soy sauce or oyster sauce, it's so good for dipping everything else in.

[kobetobiko]

hi cimui,

That's why I said we have similar taste! Yes, I do that everytime when I have hot pot - raw egg mixed with the sauce (mine is usually a mix of soy sauce, scallion, garlic, and chilii). The silky texture of the egg compliments the fatty beef slices or meat so well, they just slide into your throat! Yum!

And when I have Japanese shabu shabu at home, my mom will throw in some rice at the end into the soup and stir in an egg (like egg drop), and eat it as porridge. Of course there are also kyu-don (beef rice bowl) in which I always put an egg and mix it in.

To me, any rice just taste better with runny egg yolk mixed in, from Chinese beef "patty" on rice with egg, to Korean bibimbop. They are made for each other! =D

[starlady]

I love hot pot with runny egg yolk. YUM!

[cimui]

Oh the rice at the end is a great idea! I've never tried that before. (We used bean thread noodles.) All this makes me want to go to Chinatown and buy myself a hot pot right now.

[bolivianita]

Maybe new to the US but this could be because of the larger Latin influence. A steak or burger "montado" is standard fare in almost any latin american country.

[MakingSense]

For decades, it seemed as though every time I cleared US airspace my hamburgers came with fried eggs (except if I was staying at a US hotel chain abroad) and eggs showed up in dang near everything. After awhile, I started to think that the US was the odd-man-out.
Maybe we're just catching up to the rest of the world and it's only a new trend here.

[Eat_Nopal]

I don't understand where everyone has been.... fried eggs on top of food was standard fare in early 20th century America... and still found from California to New York and everywhere in between.

Anyone ever heard of a chain called Fatburger?

[Gary Soup]

A burger with a fried egg on it is known as a burger "au cheval" or "a cheval" in Canada. I'm sure that designation on a menu has scared off more than a few potential buyers

[Eat_Nopal]

All around the world from Mexico to Bolivia to Japan.... people have commonly topped thousands of dishes with sunny side, fried, poached or soft boiled eggs on top... it was a quick way to add protein & richness... and just an example of how a culture that values change & innovation a little too much... often misses out on classic stuff in its pursuit of bigger, "better" creations.

[paulj]

Fried eggs on rice reminds me of a book, 'Living Poor' by Moritz Thomsen. Thomsen was a Peace Corp volunteer in a small coastal community in Ecuador.
http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/03...
As I recall it, he thought he'd doubled the egg consumption in town with this combination. Eggs were about the only way he could get much protein in his diet.
paulj

[kare_raisu]

great link thanks!

[purple goddess]

Caesar salad always has a runny-yolked poached eggie on top...

And an Aussie Pizza is a thin base, tom sauce, mozz, ham with a yolky egg.

[rjw_lgb_ca]

"Caesar salad always has a runny-yolked poached eggie on top..."

?!?!?!?

The dressing for the classic Caesar Salad uses a coddled egg, sure. But I've never, ever seen anyone finish one with a poached egg on top. Even when I've had it prepared tableside.

I've only ever seen people put an "X" of anchovy fillets on top of the shaved Parmesan. And by the way, folks, the original, invented in Tijuana by Caesar Cardini, did not have any anchovies in it at all (other than in the Worcestershire sauce). But it tastes better with them.

[mojoeater]

Actually, the traditional Caesar uses raw eggs. People started coddling them out of fear of salmonella. Some states even require it.

[rjw_lgb_ca]

That's true, but it's still not a poached egg sitting on top of the salad...!

[purple goddess]

Must be an Aussie thing... Here, Caesar salad is USUALLY baby cos leaves, some croutons, some crispy bacon, shaved parm, an X of anchovies and a poached egg, with a runny yolk and firm white.

You break open the egg and smoosh it around the other ingredients and that's what makes the dressing.

I say "usually" because I have been served iceberg lettuce with pre-fab bacon 'bits' and nasty pre-fab caesar "style" dressing out of a bottle.

[JudiAU]

It is very traditional to coddle it for two minutes. It helps make for a slightly thicker sauce. Coddling won't "cure" salmonella and restaurants/govs concerned about it require the eggs be pasturized or excluded.

[Blueicus]

I'm personally not a huge fan of the taste of absolutely raw eggs, so I find that coddling them allows me to enjoy the taste of homemade mayos and aiolis more.

[littlegreenpea]

I think it might be a new trend; I've noticed it in the last year or two. I once had a wonderful soup with thinly sliced calamari, foie gras oil and a soft boiled egg.

Also, I've come to putting an egg on top of my salads (really just to make it a complete meal for lunch, with bread). It's quite yummy though.

[Sarah]

Salade de frissee aux lardons avec poached egg atop! My fractured French at work...

[Greg B]

I hope not. Eggs, whether poached, fried, whatever = yukkkk!

[cimui]

hey now, you have to admit they're good in cake!

[cimui]

Have you tried an egg, sunny-side up, over roasted asparagus, parmesan shavings, and a dash of black pepper? Very, very nice.

[kobetobiko]

Agree! That's one of my favorite way to have asparagus at home! Either sunny side up or poached egg!

[notmartha]

That sounds great! Like a variation of hollandaise sauce, except even easier.

[cimui]

Follow the path of least resistance, as they say. (And I think the egg's even better than hollandaise!)

[starlady]

Agreed. Also awesome on braised leeks. LOVE soft poached eggs. On almost anything. When I was growing up putting a soft fried egg on your burger was called "Aussie Style". Don't know why. Often when making baked beans I crack a couple eggs into them at the end to poach in the bean sauce. YUM!

[cimui]

Funny--where I grew up, we called soft fried eggs on burgers "Texas style." I don't know why, either!

Gosh, I've been crabing braised leeks lately. I'll have to try it with the egg on top.

[kindofabigdeal]

where'd you grow up?

[Low Country Jon]

Yes, according to a local burger joint in my area, a burger topped with a fried egg and roasted beet is a traditional dish Down Under. I tried it. Not a combination made in heaven IMO, but not too bad.

I like to poach a few eggs on top of chili when I reheat it. Sort of an American version of eggs diablo. Or a variation on huevos rancheros.

[Scrapironchef]

The chili dish is an old campfire breakfast treat I used to make, leftover chili from the night before, hash browns on the side. You could cook a half dozen eggs at a time.

[weez]

So ironic that i just had asparagus exactly as described above for the first time last night. My cousin's [chef] boyfriend made it for a birthday dinner and said it was a "typical Italian Spring dish."

[Melanie]

Sounds just like a VERY popular dish at New York's famous Momufuku Ssam restaurant.

[Veggo]

Black bean soup (yum!) in Costa Rica is often served with a poached egg on top. Works.

[kare_raisu]

got to try this!

[mrbunsrocks]

When I lived in France (five years ago), it was everywhere.

I am skeeved by runny yolks so it's not a trend I'm hoping will spread!

[Lucia]

There's an egg on top of spaghetti carbonara.

[kare_raisu]

I think runny egg yolk is one of nature's most glorious gifts.

[Tabetai yo]

agree--for example, kare raisu with an egg on top! or oyako don, katsudon with barely cooked egg. or japanese style spaghetti with egg on top.

[kare_raisu]

Yea....Oyako and katsu don is killer when left 'runny.' - hate it when the egg is solid as a rock.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Oyaku donburi eggs should not be runny.

[kare_raisu]

Says who? Those Japanese running around the US and canada right now - evaluatating authenticity?

I've cooked it at Japanese restaurant - we cooked it hard [naturally] for customers, slightly underdone for us. The hot rice -not to mention residual heat would cook it through/

[Sam Fujisaka]

Gads, the you're last person on earth I would want to offend. I'm not running around the US or Canada--but have always had oyaku donburi (my declared CH comfort food) with firm eggs. I also grew up eating egg-gohan: egg and shoyu beaten a bit and poured over hot rice. Mil desculpas.

[E Eto]

If you go to places that specialize in oyako-don using jidori chicken and jidori eggs in Japan, you will always get an oyako-don with very runny eggs. On some recent Japanese cooking shows, once the egg was added to the pan and cooking dashi, it was only a 10 second wait before it was added to the rice. Very runny, and that's the way most Japanese like it.

[Tabetai yo]

have you been to Dojima An on O Farrell? They have a tasty katsu don. I'm cooking oyako don for a demo in the midwest next weekend and I am going to have to explain to those people that rock hard is not the desired effect.

[Sarah]

Sushi Ran in Sausalito makes a veeerrry tasty oyako dan!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Lomo montado--runny egg on steak--is a Latin American standard.

[rworange]

Oh yeah ... I love that. They do something like that in Brazil and Portugual. Latin steak and eggs.

It is surprising how a simple egg can be so satisfying.

[OCAnn]

Just had it @ Roy's. www.chowhound.com/topics/393737

[adewaal]

A fried egg on top of stacked enchiladas is pretty common in the Southwest. Pretty good, actually.

[Candy]

Oh yeah. That is what i grew up with, Sonoran style(stacked not rolled) enchiladas with a sunny side egg on top. Yum!

[jackrugby]

I had a fried egg on rolled enchiladas at a Mexican chain called Abuelos. It was pretty good, first time for me though.

[Eat_Nopal]

What do they put in between the layers? In Mexico City, there are a few fondas that would do Green Sauce with alternate layers of local greens (Romeritos, Quelites etc.,) and cheese... topped off with an Egg poached in Pipian Verde.

[notmartha]

Sunny side egg on top of pizza is pretty standard in Italy. Maybe we are just catching onto a good thing that the rest of the world enjoyed.

Plus my fav from Hawaii is Loco Moco - eggs on hamburger on top of rice covered with brown gravy.

Also chinese bbq pork on rice can also come with a still runny egg yolk.

[ipsedixit]

Or a raw egg cracked on top of hot fried rice ... yum.

[rworange]

In Mexico often plain rice is served with an egg on top.

Various cultures use egg on pizza

In Brazil a burger called an xtudo has an egg ... plus the rest of the kitchen cabinet.

It just might be a trend in the US ... but even so, I've seen it more. Egg on pizza is a few years old in SF.

I don't remember egg on fish either. I've had breakfast eggs with fish on the side.

[Non Cognomina]

Or Bibimbop.

[ipsedixit]

And, lets not forget the always delicious egg drop soup ...

[notmartha]

That reminds me - there's a chow fun dish that's loosely translated as silky/slippery eggs with beef.

It's beef slices stir-fried with onions and eggs in a white sauce. Ultra yummy!

Have to say though I love runny egg yolks, but don't like runny whites.

[ipsedixit]

Well, khachapouri has been around forever (ok, at least, for quite a while now).

[rjw_lgb_ca]

Not new at all. You've obviously never set foot in a Fatburger.

[mojoeater]

When I was in Paris in the early 90's, I remember going to a local pizza joint and being appalled that they served my pizza with a sunny side egg in the middle. Perhaps it's just Americans trying to be more European?

[kobetobiko]

Yeh, I think you are right, mojoeater. I have seen a sunny side egg on pizza many years ago, and I think it was quite common in England (I think). So it is definitely not new.

I thought we also have sunny side egg on burger in many diners as well? May be it is more common as a "breakfast" burger but has extended to become more mainstream?

Now sunny side up on fish? That's the first time I have heard of this.

[mojoeater]

I think the one-eyed burger was traditionally over hard. Didn't see runny yolks on burgers until recently.

[sasha1]

The fish thing is not mainstream at this point (I don't think). It also had pancetta in the sauce - so maybe it was breakfast fish. Best fish I've ever eaten though.

[djohnson22]

Yum - I love a nice sunny side egg on top of fish! Particularly nice on salmon and crab cakes. Did egg on top of blue marlin, on toast, for breakfast a couple of days ago.

[howboy]

I had the same experience in the 60's. they called anything with an egg on top of it it "_________ Bismark".

[kare_raisu]

I wonder the provenance of the name? "Holstein" is the egg with the schnitzel...maybe Otto was from that German state?

[orangewasabi]

they are still serving pizza's with the sunny side egg in Paris, it's pretty par for the course

[kare_raisu]

Turkish borek w/them are the norm

[cookie monster]

In Brazil too - my favorite pizza place in Rio, Cappriciosa, has one with prosciutto, mushrooms, and an egg in the middle. yum.

[operagirl]

Not to mention the burgers Cariocas order from street carts until the wee hours of the morning. My brother and I had one in Lapa around 1 in the morning, "com tudo," which included the egg on top. Yum!

[Melanie]

There is a Washington D.C. chain called Pizza Paradiso that makes a pizza with Tomato, Egg, Garlic, Parsley, Parmesan, Bottarga. It's awesome to sit on the stools overlooking the kitchen - They simply crack a raw egg on top of the pizza as they throw it into the wood-burning, stone oven.

[swsidejim]

I am not sure how new of a trend it is, I had seen a burger @ a bar I used to live near that had a cheeseburger with a egg on top on the menu for the last few years, but I was never "brave" enough to try it.

I recently had a burger at Red Robin and went for the one with the egg on top of it, and it was an excellent burger, the texture, the flavor of the egg, and running yolk added alot to the burger. I had to make one at home for myelf at home for lunch on Saturday, and it was even better. I am a fan now.

I dont know about the other items you mentioned, but if they are anywhere near as good as the burger concept I am all for them.

[kindofabigdeal]

As far as I know, an egg was the original burger condiment.

[swsidejim]

I am angry at myself that I have been missing out for so long on this additon to the perfect burger.

[ML8000]

Runny egg on rice with a burger paddy and gravy = loco moco. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loco_Moco

BTW, isn't there an old saying, "what do you want, egg in your beer?" It's probably trendy since it makes things instantly rich.

[mojoeater]

Actually, an old school hangover cure is a redeye - tomato juice, hot sauce, beer and a raw egg.

[kchurchill5]

Not that I can relay to. Tried it on a burger YUCK! sorry, no anything for me, just gross. Now on hash OK, Also, had it on a steak with the right gravy and the right sides and it was good ... but just on a steak. Why? Got to have the ride sides and things to go along.

Hangover cure with egg, absolutely. College 101.

Now I did have a ham steak once, grilled onions, great roll, fried egg, sunny side up, cheese and that was good. Otherwise ... burger ... no thank you for me. Maybe sausage or something else but no burger.

[OCAnn]

Seeing this thread...esp the mention of loco moco...made me hungry for spam loco. Went to Maui Hawaiian BBQ for lunch and order just that! Fried egg on spam & rice! Mmmm...island plate decadence!

[kirinraj]

thats the best breakfast in my opinion! try it with fried goteburg sausage (common on the islands) as well

[Eat_Nopal]

Can you please recommend a good Loco in Oahu... I have yet to have one I would like order again. The idea of it I like.... but the exaction has so far been underwhelming... I stopped ordering them now.

[kirinraj]

Never been to Oahu, but if you're ever in Kauai, my cousins say that the Tip Top Hotel has the best loco moco in Lihue

[ML8000]

You might try Alan Wong's Pineapple Room or Kaka'ako Kitchen for loco moco if you haven't found one you like so far. The key ingredient in a loco moco is the gravy so a place with a little refinement might help. The problem with many plate lunch joints is canned gravy or heavy corn starch..tasteless goop on rice and egg is just that. Other option is find a good old fashion place that serves both loco moco and roast beef/prime rib, where they use the same gravy. Ray's Cafe might be one of those places.

[ML8000]

Ray's Cafe. Have not been to this location but they serve real prime rib...for breakfast even and cheap and huge. If they use that gravy on a lm...could be good.

-----
Rays Cafe
2033 N King St, Honolulu, HI 96819

[Eat_Nopal]

Kaka'ako kitchen is one of the versions I didn't like. Really, there was nothing wrong with it... it just wasn't very compelling. The patty is usually boring... and like you mentioned the gravy is rarely good.

Its a dish a really want to enjoy as I have always been a big fan of similar dishes... the Bi Bim Bap (sp?), Burgers with a fried egg, Chile Fries with a Fried, Chilaquiles with a fried egg, CFS with a fried egg, Milanesa with a fried egg etc., etc.,

[ML8000]

The thing is the lm is institutionalized so to find compelling, you have to go upscale or downscale from scratch/home cooking style like Pineapple room or total hole in the wall. I thought KK might have it. You're right about the patty..usually prefab or frozen which doesn't break up and mix well, absorb the egg or gravy well.

[Eat_Nopal]

BTW... eons before ever stepping into a Zippy's I started ordering Chil Cheese Fries with a Fried Egg on Top... I am not sure if I saw it somewhere or just had the feeling it had to be classic somewhere.

[Miss Needle]

I've seen the egg on the burger thing more often these days, but I have been ordering it for almost 20 years. They had it at an Irish diner near where I lived. I thought it was incredibly delicious. I'm glad that more restaurants are offering that option.

[umbushi plum]

the aussies have been doing the egg (and beetroot of course) with burgers for a while ;-)

[toastnjam]

so have the kiwi's ;-)

[Eat_Nopal]

So have the...

Mexicans
Brazilians
Argentinians
Bolivians
Italians
Japanese

And didn't Bourdain have a Boar Anus burger topped with a fried egg in Zimbabwe? Or was that a Pork "Oyster"?

Seriously... people everywhere in the world have been adding Fried Eggs to fried & grilled meat dishes since Antiquity. It has been just as popular in the States as anywhere else for at least 100 years... but I believe it went out of fashion in the 80s & 90s as people thought it was a bit tacky... but it now has its rightful place... and we can put together millions of stories of how the Fried Egg on Top never fully left American gastronomic culture.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Yup, nothing like a lomo montado in Bolivia.