Uova "à la coque" - boiled eggs

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to boil. Carefully place egg in the water (with a spoon) and let boil for exactly three minutes and fifteen seconds (okay, three minutes or three and a half minutes would probably also work, but I’m telling you that 3:15 was the magic number for me). Immediately remove egg from the pan and place in a small dish of cold water to stop the cooking.

2. Meanwhile, toast a couple good slices of bread. Slice into sticks. Butter if you like.

3. Place egg in an egg cup. Tap the top of the egg forcefully with your spoon to crack, then, using a sharp knife, carefully slice off the top of the egg (I like to think of it as the egg’s hat). Season with salt and pepper. And that’s it!