Brûlée Your Eggs To Make Breakfast At Home Feel Extra Fancy

Crafting a classic crème brûlée requires creating a custard on the stovetop, baking that custard, cooling it, then sprinkling it with sugar, and caramelizing the sugar until it forms a crispy, crackly, golden surface that crunches beneath your spoon. The result is delicious — but it takes a while to make a classic crème brûlée. For something similar that's just as impressive, but cuts down on the steps, try this oh-so-fancy addition to your breakfast: brûléed soft-boiled eggs.

Some credit Chef Alvin Cailan of restaurant Eggslut, an eatery "inspired by a true love for eggs" with creating this take on the breakfast staple. It's simple enough that you don't need to be a trained chef to give it a try, but it does require some attention to detail. It all starts with the perfect soft-boiled egg, which is then halved, salted, and sprinkled with sugar. The next step is to use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar on top. No kitchen torch? You can achieve the desired caramelization the same way you might atop a crème brûlée when you're lacking this kitchen tool: just pop the sugar-coated eggs under the broiler for a few minutes.

If you're taking the time to brûlée your eggs in the morning, chances are that you're not just throwing together something fast to fill your stomach before you head out the door. You want something that looks as impressive on the plate as it tastes. With that in mind, make sure you follow a few key tips in order to achieve the best-looking brûléed eggs possible. 

Since this dish all starts with a soft-boiled egg, don't make the mistake of overcooking your eggs. A soft-boiled egg takes four to seven minutes, depending on how runny you want it to be, with five and a half being the sweet spot recommended by Cailan. Don't ruin the look of your eggs by peeling them incorrectly. The easiest way to peel boiled eggs? After cooking, place them directly into an ice bath. The change in temperature allows the shell to peel away effortlessly, leaving you with a pristine egg.

Once you've achieved the perfect soft/crunchy/salty/sweet brûlée eggs, you can experiment with various ways to incorporate them into your recipes. You could play with the salty-sweet aspect by serving them on toasted brioche or sourdough with a fig balsamic jam. Serve them on a salad of arugula, goat cheese, and broiled beets. Mad scientist of food, J.Kenji López-Alt brûléed the eggs on top of his Shakshuka. Or just pop them into your mouth for a fancy breakfast treat.