Eggs with Dippy Soldiers

At Easter time, chocolate eggs are exchanged and enjoyed as a symbolic gesture to celebrate the season of spring which is full of renewal and new life. Historically, however, this has not always been the case. Before chocolate eggs were created, it was often tradition to give fresh chicken, duck or goose eggs to be eaten and enjoyed in celebration of this time of year.

Even today, many people continue the tradition of enjoying fresh eggs over Easter, especially on Good Friday and it's a great healthier alternative to chocolate eggs!
This year you can make egg cooking that little bit easier with an electric egg cooker; there's no guessing or watching the clock to get the perfect runny yolk for your dippy soldiers, instead, with our EB35 egg boiler you can achieve the perfect amount of softness/hardness every time. Simply set the timer and leave them to cook. Even better, the EB35 can cook up to 7 eggs at a time so you can cater for the whole family!

Typically dippy soldiers are prepared with buttered toast cut into fingers, however, there are so many other alternatives to take it up a notch and make it into a filling lunch. In our recipe, we use asparagus as they are in season during the springtime and so they are readily available and at their tastiest too!
Other dippable alternatives include sliced peppers, fish fingers or even chips.

Ingredients

4 large free-range eggs
butter
bread of your choosing - any will work!
8 asparagus spears

Serves 4

Method

1. If you are using our EB35 egg boiler, pierce the eggs using the egg piercing tool, fill up the water tray and place the eggs into the egg basket. Switch on the machine and turn the dial to sit between the soft and medium settings. The eggs will cook for the right amount of time and the machine will sound when it has finished cooking.
If you are using a pan to boil your eggs, place the eggs into the pan and cover them with cold water. Place them on a high heat, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to allow them to simmer for 3-4 minutes.

2. While the eggs are cooking, prepare the asparagus dippers.
Place a griddle on the hob on a high heat. Snap the woody/rigid ends off of the asparagus and place them in the griddle pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
If you do not have a griddle pan, you can use a pan to blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. After you remove the asparagus from the boiling water, plunge them into cold water for a minute or two to stop the cooking process and keep them firm.

3. Once the eggs are cooked, plunge them into cold water for 30 seconds or so to stop the cooking process and to prevent the yolk from being overcooked.

4. Place the eggs into egg cups and remove the tops of the eggs with a spoon.

Serve with the asparagus dippers and some freshly buttered toast.