French Friday’s with Dorie
If I were going to write a cookbook entitled “Around My Childhood Table” filled with all the stuff I ate as a kid I would certainly include a dozen different versions of this dish. All of mom’s versions, no matter the ingredients, were always referred to as “Stuff on Toast”. Each night mom felt pressured to rustle up a decent dinner for us kids without time for serious menu planning her creativity and a loaf of bread would take over.
“Mom, what’s for dinner?”
“I don’t know. Probably Stuff on Toast.”
Yay! This was certainly not a bad thing as far as we were concerned. She was as artful with her interpretations as Dorie Greenspan is here with hers. Mom would cream up whatever she had on hand, put it on toast and then call it dinner — all much to our delight. Half a bag of frozen vegetables, leftover creamed spinach and a package of chipped beef or canned tuna — even week-old hard boiled Easter eggs and a bag of peas would be transformed with the help of a small amount of cream and some seasonings. And toast, of course.
Far from an appetizer, Stuff on Toast is a fancy breakfast, an elegant brunch, a smart lunch, or a week-night dinner. Its no real recipe, but it is everything. And gosh. Don’t we know by now that with a runny egg on top it is at home at even the fanciest of French Tables?
Stuff on Toast: Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs
Serving Stuff on Toast on a crispy slice of challah with a dusting of fresh herbs certainly gives this lowbrow dinner concept a highbrow panache that my mother never really bothered with. But not by much. Who knew we were eating fancy French food way back when?
From Dorie Greenspan’s “Around My French Table”
- Stuff
- Herbs
- Cream
- Eggs
- Toast
Choose your stuff. Melt a tablespoon or two of butter in a pan and cook some chopped shallot or a couple tablespoons of finely chopped onion until just soft. Add your stuff and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until soft. When your stuff is soft, add 1/2 cup cream and bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add about 2 teaspoons of fresh herbs. Dorie uses mint and rosemary but I love stuff with tarragon or even oregano if your stuff suits it.
Spoon stuff over a piece of toast and add an egg. Dorie suggests a poached egg on top and offers a few methods. Lately I haven’t bothered with poached eggs when soft boiled are so much easier. I’ll save my method for another, more ‘revolutionary’ post.
The actual recipe by Dorie provides more detail than I do. If you thrive on actual instructions the full recipe can be found here.
I like the name Stuff on Toast. Tempted to write it into my cookbook. I’ll be making this for lunch today, and am very much looking forward to it.
I’m sure my people will be happy to license you the copyright for Stuff On Toast. Or buy me a drink. I give things away for free when I’m drunk.
My “stuff on toast” is usually cheese! Now it will include scrambled eggs and mushrooms 🙂 Gorgeous photos, my friend.
Merci Lizzie! Cheese is the original stuff on toast of course. A classic.
We used to have “stuff” for diner sometimes when I was younger. Nothing as fancy as this but I’ll be re-making this stuff soon!
I’ve never considered Stuff as an appetizer as Dorie has it. Go easy lest your guests get full of Stuff and have room for little else!
That’s some nice “Stuff,” Trevor, made even nicer by the egg. You sure are right about that. These French Friday’s with Dorrie sure produce some wonderful dishes. Thanks!
I have to admit you are right Adri. Ms. Dorie and her table have changed my life.
Of Things on Toast
What the wise call frugal fools may label cheap
But it matters not, as long as it is filling
At day’s end, besides, there’s promises to keep
The mind is tired; the body, at least, willing
Will it be peas? Or cabbages? Or eggs?
By any other name it’s still good stuff
What person could think that these are dregs?
As for me, I cannot get enough
One thing I beg: Please make my eggs quite runny
The warm sticky yolk will surely feed my soul
If you prefer yours hard I admit I’ll think you funny
Or more charitably, perhaps amusing and droll
But you may feel justified to boast
If you have good sense to place the stuff on toast
I have a hankering for pork and clams on toast right now. When I catch my breath I may just make it. I love you Clams.
Stuff on toast sounds so kid friendly!! I used to serve my kids chicken a la king on toast…they loved it!
Your dish looks so inviting and delicious!! I wish I thought of boiling the eggs…but I’m quite happy that I finally learned to make a proper poached egg. We loved this one…easy and yummy!
I think I’ll write a post on the boiled egg. Chicken a la King is just Stuff on Toast with a fancy name!
Love it! Now you must write that cookbook. What a great concept!
Love it! “Stuff”. 🙂
Your list of ingredients is perfect. My mom could hardly whip up stuff on toast, but made a mean oven roast that was used the next day with boiled eggs as a `salad´. I could live on stuff on toast, and actually do a lot. Perfect eggs Trevor, I´m opting for your cooking method next time.
Stay tuned then as I think I will be blogging my boiled egg method for Revolution day. As for salads.. my grandmother would put a dollop of mayo on ANYTHING and that made it “salad”. I guess we could have had Stuff Salad at any time.
Trevor, I love your photos & your story. Adding to my excuses for being a delinquent Dorista, I just don’t like eggs…
But, it looks like they honored your request for a “Cooks’ Choice” this month, so I have no excuse to miss that one!
I hope you will pick something you passed up Susan. I think Cook’s Choice should be things the group has already done. Otherwise what is the point?
Oh, Dude, my mom was the QUEEN of “stuff” on toast – most notably creamed corn or some kind of tuna/ cream of whatever kind of soup/ frozen peas. Even liver and onions – which I was made to force down in my youth. Blech. (Just this week she admitted she didn’t even like liver & onions – so why the heck did she make me eat it?????)
Stuff Queen! Queen of Stuff! Do you think we long lost siblings? I’d much rather have you than my do-no-cooking sister. She can’t even make Stuff on Toast.
Trevor, looks like you really enjoyed your creamy mushrooms with the soft boiled egg! Love that nicely braided bread with sesame seeds and that runny egg yolk! We never had “stuff an toast” as we never really ate toast, it was always a hearty loaf of sourdough bread or kaiser rolls with cheese and cold-cuts for dinner.
Have a lovely Friday!
Being from an Italian family I was deprived of anything creamed. My husband was raised by his ex-military dad would feed them S.O.S. on such a regular bases that they had a complete water glass set made up of chipped beef jars.
I really think your idea for a cookbook is great. Everyone needs quick family meals.
SOS! I wish I had remembered about that before writing the post! SOS was something I remember from my Boy Scout days…
My brothers loved chipped beef on toast, good memory
Do they still make chipped beef? I haven;t thought about that dish in years. Your eggs look great
but I wish I had a slice of that bread right now covered in butter. This was a nice recipe and will definitely be repeated again. Happy weekend.
Of course they do but I don’t know why. I think I will do a public service and prepare some soon.
LOL – stuff on toast is an apt name for this dish! I really enjoyed this too, and will take your tip about the mint for next time.
Loved your very homey Post this week, Trevor. My mom would make creamed chipped beef on toast – egads I loved that. I have to admit to buying the Stouffer’s variety every so often just to get a Mom-fix. More cream than beef, I’m afraid. Yes, I would like a tutorial on hard boiled eggs. I go with J. Pepin’s version now – bring to a boil, turn off the heat, let it stand. The egg, that is. Sometimes it workd, sometimes it doesn’t. But that’s the hard-boiled. Would love to know your way around the soft-boiled.
Stuff on toast is the perfect name for this! Your photos are as always beautiful!
That made me laugh. I had a lot of “stuff on toast” when I was growing up. This looks like much posher version though! And breakfast for dinner is always great! Your photos are stunning!
No haiku this week? As usual, your post made me laugh. My mom didn’t make stuff on toast, but I would eat this anytime.
Love this post! My mom did the same thing, except on steamed chinese buns called “mantou.”
I think I prefer your name for this dish. It makes the ingredients list so much simpler, too. Also, I think it would make a great name for a cabaret night. Gorgeous photos!
Your “stuff on toast” nights sound amazing. They are quite like my fathers “garbage pasta” nights, which was anything we had in the fridge mixed with pasta… always delish.
Stunning photos with an awesome family tale – love it !! I am only sorry I did not think of the “stuff on toast” when my kids were younger and I was schlepping them from soccer to scouts to whatever other crazy thing we over signed them up for 🙂 Thanks also for the kind words about our cancelled trip. I am only now catching up on posts and comments and made it back to your Ispahan loaf. God did that look gorgeous.The glazing was stunning and the inside has me craving a slice. Good thing I have so much leftover rose “stuff”…..
I am so stealing your idea of soft-boiled eggs! When I was growing up, we had a lot of “stuff on toast” too. And I will admit that it still shows up in my kitchen from time to time. One of my Dad’s favorite things was creamed tuna, always a winner. I’m glad I’m not the only one!! 😉
I’m a big fan of “Stuff on Toast” for dinner too. I think anything would taste good with good bread and a soft egg on top. (Your eggs look perfect, BTW.) I’m still trying to convince my husband that it’s substantial enough for dinner…