Deconstructed steak and eggs: Top Chef for Toddlers

Having a toddler means the kitchen is always a playground. I don't mean this in the McDonald's Playland sense. I have neither room nor patience for, say, a Hamburglar slide in my kitchen. But having a young child means food always has room for fun.

Anyone who has ever given a toddler a sandwich understands that the brain of a young eater is filled with curiosity. It won't take long before each slice of bread is thrown aside, the exploration having begun. Soon pieces of cold cuts and cheese will find themselves tossed afield. For the young eater, the deconstruction of a sandwich is as much about play as it is understanding what is hiding beneath those slices of bread. Dining and play are inseparable. And that is how it should it be. After all, food should be more than sustenance, it should be fun.

So, this morning, partly inspired by my son's playful palate, and partly by Episode 6 of this season's Top Chef, I sought to deconstruct a classic: Steak & Eggs. First, I beat an egg and poured it into a skillet, as if I was making an omelet. When it was cooked, I simply flipped it over, cooked the other side and removed the large, flat egg from the skillet. Then I sliced the egg into triangle pizza-like slices. I cut a slice of American cheese into strips. Finally, I cut up some left over sirloin that we'd grilled for last night's dinner.

I plated the dish by placing some egg slices like a sunrise, arranging the cheese like a flower, and the steak in a small pile. I then presented them with some ketchup and a little A-1 because, well, the kid likes to dip stuff.

"Is that mine?" he asked as he sat in his booster seat.

"It is," I told him. "Steak and eggs deconstructed."

"Mmmmm," he replied, as he dug in and devoured his breakfast. I played. He ate. Happiness in the kitchen on a Sunday morning.

Comments

[wallpaper]

Thank you for the post.

[Hoteles Cazorla]

Looks very very well the recipe as you can see in the picture, is now just as I'm trying to be like you, though I rather doubt it, because I was not very good at cooking.