Eggs in a Glass

Instructions

• 1
  If you manage or don't forget, take the eggs out of the fridge onto the kitchen counter half an hour beforehand.
• 2
  Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan for cooking the eggs. There should be enough water to just cover the eggs when you add them. Lightly salt the water. Although this doesn't affect the taste of the eggs, it definitely affects the water's softness and protects the bottom of the saucepan.
• 3
  Carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water with a spoon and immediately start a timer. Then, slightly reduce the heat of the hob, cover the saucepan with a lid, and let it simmer gently, covered, for exactly five minutes. If you didn't manage to take the eggs out of the fridge in time and cooked them cold, add one extra minute.
• 4
  While the eggs are cooking, roll up your sleeves and quickly prepare four serving glasses, four nice saucers, and four sufficiently long spoons to reach the bottom of the glasses. Have salt and pepper ready, chop the herbs, toast the bread, and butter it. After this, everything will happen quickly.
• 5
  As soon as the timer goes off, drain the water from the saucepan and place it in an empty sink. Run a stream of cold water over the eggs in the saucepan and let it run for a while to shock-cool not only the eggs but also the saucepan. Start timing again – let the eggs cool this way for exactly one and a half minutes. This way, they will still remain nicely warm inside.
• 6
  Leave the eggs in the water and take a small sharp knife. Take out one egg and try to cut off the thicker, flatter end with the knife, precisely opposite the pointed end. You probably won't succeed completely, but that's fine. It's enough to crack the shell; feel free to do it in several places around the egg's circumference. Submerge the egg back into the water and peel off this end of the shell. Work quickly; try to remove at least half of the eggshell. There's no foolproof method for easy peeling; every egg behaves differently regardless of shock cooling. However, peeling underwater will at least please you by preventing shell fragments from sticking to your hands or the peeled egg. If the egg peels well, remove the entire shell; if not, stop halfway. Then, do not return it to the cold water so it doesn't cool unnecessarily. Do the same with the other eggs.
• 7
  Divide the peeled eggs into the glasses. Those still in their shells now need a little help from a spoon. Hold the spoon in one hand, the egg in the other, and slide the spoon under the shell. Use a circular motion to loosen the egg from the shell, finally going all the way down and simply scooping the egg into the glass. It will slide out almost by itself.
• 8
  Lightly break up the eggs in the glasses with a spoon so the yolk starts to flow out. Quickly salt, pepper, sprinkle with herbs, add toasted, buttered toast, and serve immediately.