How To Make Eggs Rothko

High-brow/low-brow fried egg-stuffed cheese toast named for an artist. Where do you find it? Everyone all together now...Williamsburg! Yes at Egg, North 5th go-to brunch spot for the fedora-topped, skinny jean-clad and denim-vested, Chef Ed Quish whips out platter after platter of Eggs Rothko, their signature dish.

"It's named after the painter Mark Rothko, who anyone who's visited the MoMA will be familiar with," he said (hipster). "His niece is a friend of the owner here, and she told us his favorite way to eat eggs was a toad in the hole covered with cheese. Mark Rothko paints these large swatches of color, so sometimes I think the cheese is one color, then the kale and tomatoes."

"Do you find it artistic?" I asked.

"I do," said Quish.

I popped into the kitchen with photographer Gabi Porter to document the creation of this masterpiece, which is definitely easy enough to make with minimal effort on a weekend morning. Quish serves it with a side of sauteed kale, oven-roasted tomatoes and a mustache.

Here's what you'll need for one serving:

  • A pre-measured slice of brioche (see step 1)
  • unsalted butter
  • 1 farm or high-quality organic egg
  • 1 cup coarsely shredded sharp white cheddar (Egg uses Cabot clothbound)
  • A handful of roughly chopped kale
  • A pinch of minced garlic
  • A splash of water
  • Oven-roasted tomatoes (see our recipe above)

(Click on the first photo below to view as a slideshow.)