Eggs on Toast with Caviar

For a Quiet New Year's Eve In (or an Early Dinner Before You Party!)

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New Year’s Eve can be one of the most festive moments of the year—the one holiday that everyone across the world celebrates all at the same time. But it can also be one of the hardest events to plan for because waiting for the ball to drop (or the crowd to cheer) at midnight really stretches the evening out, leaving you with lots of choices to make.

Do you go to dinner at a normal hour, then settle in at home and mark the actual event quietly? Make late dinner reservations and bide your time for half the night before you can start the fun? Try to cram in more than one activity, going from bar to restaurant or stopping at a couple different parties all in one night? (And if you have kids, do you find something family friendly or try to plan waaaay in advance to score a sitter?)

My approach changes from year to year. For many years (from late childhood through much of early adulthood) I celebrated on a close friend’s ranch and enjoyed not just a beautiful dinner but also a rousing (and somewhat vicious) game of charades, then ended the evening with an enormous bonfire. In recent years (i.e., the parenting-a-young-child period) we’ve often opted for quieter celebrations, seeing a handful of friends or watching movies at home. This year, I’ll be attending a friend’s big party—though I may still end up home long before the new year actually arrives.

The one thing that stays consistent in my plans is that I always make sure we’re enjoying something celebratory to eat and drink. Resolutions can start in the morning—on New Year’s Eve I’m going to treat myself to something special. While that could mean making a beautiful roast or an elaborate dinner, sometimes it just means getting a tiny jar of caviar and savoring a few bites.

If I’m planning to serve (just a little) caviar to a (small) group, I’ll simply pull out some Ritz crackers or potato chips for people to use as a vehicle, and set the some crème fraîche on the tray to go with. But the thing is, unless you’re financially blessed, you’re never going to be able to buy enough caviar for everyone to get more than one of two small bites (even if you stick to the affordable $40–$60/ounce stuff).

So, this year, I’m going to propose a different idea: If you’re going to splurge, why not use your caviar in a way that lets you keep more of the good stuff for yourself, so you can really enjoy it?

This dinner-worthy toast of pillowy soft-scrambled eggs on brioche does exactly that. It provides a rich, buttery vehicle for a generous helping of caviar that you can enjoy all by yourself or with a date—or one lucky friend. And since eggs are currently pretty pricey also, treating them with care and appreciation seems appropriate this year. Together, they make a super simple but utterly perfect meal. Enjoy them as the centerpiece of a quiet night in or as an early dinner before you head to late-night festivities!

Eggs on Toast with Caviar

Serves 1*

2 thick slices brioche
3 large eggs
Maldon sea salt
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ ounce caviar
1–2 chives, very thinly sliced

1. Toast the brioche; it should have a golden brown crust so that it can support the weight of the egg.

2. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and then beat in a splash of water (it will help keep them soft and fluffy as they cook). Put the butter in a small nonstick pan and heat it over low. When it foams, add the eggs and use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan in long sweeps, to create big curds. If the eggs are cooking too quickly on the bottom of the pan, lift it off the heat while you continue to develop the curds.

3. When the curds are formed but still soft, divide them between the two pieces of toast. Top each one with some of the caviar and a big pinch or two of chive.

*The recipe above is for one person, to make it easy to multiply as you like, but if you follow these amounts, a 1-ounce jar of caviar will feed two people

Other Fun Snacky Meals to Serve on New Years Eve

If you’re looking for a decadent snacking dinner for NYE, but eggs on toast doesn’t fit your vibe, set out a good grazing board and just nibble throughout the night. Last year I filled a couple sheet trays with crushed ice, made shrimp cocktail and shucked lots of oysters, and created a seafood tower-like meal for myself, my family, and some friends who contributed crab legs (evidence above). In other years I’ve just stuck to a gorgeous cheese board with lots of hearty bread to go with it. Alternatively, Bebe Carminito’s beautiful Make-Your-Own Crostini Board with mushrooms would also be an excellent option.

Photo: Georgia Freedman