Goldenrod Eggs With Bacon and Lime Honey Mint Fruit Salad - Sunday Brunch Break Day Between The Puppy Drama and Onslaught of Movers

Goldenrod eggs, or Eggs a la Goldenrod for you high-falutin' folks, is a traditional French brunch recipe usually eaten on Easter morning. I knew it from my childhood, as one of the very few dishes my mother would make. Mom was just not into cooking. She was the Minute Rice and Shake and Bake Queen.

Goldenrod eggs is a variation on the old "something in cream over toast"  which was a staple of the military canteen with the charming name of SOS*, and also of Depression-era households. It is comprised of a basic white béchamel sauce, with a roux of flour and butter cooked light blonde, to which milk is added and a dash of something savory if you're feeling adventurous. Chopped up hard boiled egg whites are added to the sauce and it is finished over toast with a sprinkling of crumbled egg yolks.

It was a frequent dinner at the home of my childhood, probably for the same reason it was a Depression-era staple. I can remember nights when powdered milk was substituted for fresh. Thank heaven eggs were cheap or we'd be handed the dual-edged culinary nightmare of powdered milk AND powdered eggs, and it's awfully hard to fake crumbled hard boiled egg yolks with powdered eggs. I guess you'd just sprinkle more of the powder on top?

I served this with bacon and a yummy light fruit salad of mixed summer stone fruit and pears with a honey lime and mint dressing.

Douse cook and brunch companion liberally with Mimosas. Cranmosa for the cook.

Mangia!

Goldenrod Eggs

8 hard boiled eggs, yolks removed, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
A couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 slices sourdough bread, or your choice, toasted

Crumble the yolks into a bowl and set aside. Heat a deep skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt it. Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended. Sauté until cooked to a pale blonde color, Pour milk in gradually; stirring constantly. Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly). Reduce heat, stir in Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and dry mustard and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes. Stir in egg whites, and heat through.

Serve over toast and sprinkle with egg yolks.

Fruit Salad with Lime Honey Mint Dressing

1/4 cup mint leaves chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup honey
Mixed fresh fruit, cut into chunks (we had peaches, pears and nectarines)

Mix dressing ingredients together. Toss fruit with dressing and serve.

* Shit On a Shingle"