Eggs & soldiers is a classic breakfast, featuring fingers of toast alongside soft-boiled eggs for dipping. This version is simply an upgrade that includes one of my favourite breakfasts of all time – the ham & cheese croissant. I love this breakfast idea – it’s so easy to make and perfect for when it’s just the two of you!
Of course you can multiply this recipe if you want to make it for the whole family or serve it at your next brunch party. I would also suggest if you’re really hungry to make 1 more egg per person. Feel free to experiment!
There is no need to go to a bakery for expensive croissants for this breakfast recipe… Since you’re frying them, the ready-made croissants you get in packages from the shops will be just fine. It’s also a great way to use up stale croissants that didn’t get eaten the day before. Any croissant you can get your hands on will do and if you can buy them in a packet from your grocery delivery it makes putting this on the breakfast table so much easier. Let’s get started!
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- Bowl of ice water
- 2 store-bought croissants
- 4 thin slices of ham
- Comte cheese shavings (enough to cover both halves of each croissant)
- Butter for frying
Method
- Put a pot of water on high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, use a slotted spoon to drop the eggs very gently into the boiling water. Boil for 6-7 minutes (I did 7 minutes for the above photo).
- Once the time is up on the eggs, use the slotted spoon to remove them from the hot, boiling water and transfer them to the bowl of ice water to stop them cooking inside the shells. Once they’ve cooled down, remove them and dry them off.
- Meanwhile, slice each croissant lengthwise in half as if you’re making a sandwich. Line each side with shavings of Comte cheese. Following that, add 2 slices of ham to each croissant, folding them and layering them so that most of the ham is inside the croissant. Place the two halves of each croissant back together to make the sandwiches.
- Heat a knob of butter until it melts and starts to bubble a bit and fry the croissants on both sides like a grilled cheese or a toastie. Press them down with a spatula to flatten them, similar to a panini. If you have a lid for your pan, it helps to melt the cheese faster to cover between flipping and smashing. Fry the croissants until they are crispy on the outside and warm & melted on the inside.
- When the croissants are all ready to go, remove them from the pan to a cutting board and slice them into fingers for dipping into the soft boiled egg.
- If you have egg cups, place the eggs into the egg cups and if desired, cut the tops off to show the runny egg yolk. If you don’t have egg cups, no problem… Simply peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise to serve alongside the ham & cheese croissant dippers.
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