the fat runs down to the other side. Crack the eggs into a saucer and slide them into the fat, keeping the pan tilted until the eggs are set. When they are firm enough to stay in place, set the pan flat on the stove, cover, and cook until the eggs are done.
2. Drain off the excess fat and place on a warmed plate. Serve with the toast.
SCRAMBLED EGGS AND TOAST (MUMBLED EGGS)
For a light meal, you can’t beat scrambled eggs. What we have here is the basic scrambled eggs recipe that has been used for ages and ages all over Narnia. If you want to get adventurous, you can add a few different herbs and spices. But be careful—too much garlic or too much chili could ruin the flavor. Faun Orruns would probably toss in a few finely chopped chives or a touch of garlic because Fauns have delicate and well-refined tastes, though they are light eaters. One interesting thing about scrambled eggs is that you can eat a lot more eggs when they are scrambled than you can if they are fried or boiled.
Breakfast was scrambled eggs and toast and Eustace tackled it just as if he had not had a very large supper in the middle of the night.
—THE SILVER CHAIR
PER PERSON:
2 slices firm white or wheat bread, toasted, lightly buttered, and halved diagonally
2 tablespoons butter
2 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Keep the toast warm while preparing the eggs.
2. Warm a nonstick pan and melt the butter over low heat. Break the eggs into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring in one direction until the mixture begins to set.
3. With a wooden spoon, pull the egg mixture away from the sides of the pan, and stir the eggs just enough to keep from sticking to the pan.
4. When the eggs are cooked but still soft, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and turn out onto warm plates. Tuck a triangle of toast on each side of the eggs and serve while piping hot.
It was not such a breakfast as they would have chosen, for Caspian and Cornelius were thinking of venison pasties, and Peter and Edmund of buttered eggs and hot coffee.
—PRINCE CASPIAN
6 SERVINGS
6 slices firm white or wheat bread, toasted, lightly buttered, and halved diagonally
12 large eggs
Salt and pepper
12 tablespoons butter (1½ sticks)
Sprigs of parsley
1. Keep the toast warm while preparing the eggs. Warm the serving plates.
2. Break the eggs into a large bowl, season lightly with salt and pepper, and beat with a fork until well mixed.
3. Put the butter into a warmed nonstick pan to melt. Do not let it get too hot. When it is melted, pour in the eggs and cook over low heat. Stir the eggs constantly in the same direction, breaking up any lumps that form.
4. When the eggs are thick and creamy, remove the pan from the heat and continue stirring the eggs for a minute. Arrange 2 pieces of toast on each plate and top with the buttered eggs. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Almost every country in the world has some form of bread. When Jack was a child, bread was made in the home. There are two kinds of bread that Jack loved: yeast bread (as in this recipe) and Irish soda bread, which is made without yeast. Making bread at home is good fun and, when you get it right, provides you with beautiful, fresh, rich-tasting loaves. It is also very healthy because, like Narnia bread, it has no chemical additives. When making bread, it is best to keep your ingredients, implements, and working surfaces warm. You should also remember that for best results you must knead the bread firmly. The only problem with homemade bread is that people eat it as fast as you can pull it from the oven. In Narnia, it is the Dwarfs and Fauns who are the best bread makers.
Meanwhile the girls were helping Mrs. Beaver to fill the kettle and lay the table and cut the bread.
—THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
3 LOAVES
5 cups unbleached all-purpose Hour, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter, room temperature
1 packet or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water (110–115 degrees F)
1 cup lukewarm milk
1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, combine 5 cups of the flour and the salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour with your fingers until well combined.
2. In a cup or small bowl, stir the yeast and sugar into the water until they dissolve. Let stand for 5 minutes until the mixture is creamy in appearance and forms small bubbles on top. This is called proofing and shows that the yeast is active.
3. Use a dough hook on the mixer,* and set the mixer at the lowest speed. Gradually pour the yeast mixture and milk into the flour, and mix until combined. Increase speed somewhat and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding more flour a tablespoon at a time until the ball of dough clears the bottom and sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the bowl. Clean the bowl and spray with oil, or grease it lightly.
4. Return the dough to the bowl, and turn the dough over a few times to cover it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean dish towel, and place the bowl in a draft-free place until the dough has doubled in size, about two hours.
5. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface; punch down the dough to flatten it, cover it with a towel, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
