Bruschetta With Eggs And Lobster.

Serves 8

Note: Bruschetta {broo-SKEH-tah} is a traditional toasted bread topped with something tasty. If you cut the bread on the diagonal, you will get more surface. You can toast the bread an hour or so in advance, but the egg and lobster need to be cooked right before serving. Each 5-ounce lobster tail will provide 4 ounces of meat. There are many alternatives to lobster {see below}. Boursin is a creamy soft cheese with the texture of cream cheese, and it comes flavored with herbs. It's a tasty alternative to cream cheese. For large soft curds of eggs, keep stirring to a minimum.

1 baguette, cut in 16 {1/2-inch} slices
1 garlic clove, peeled
Butter
2 or more {5 ounces each} lobster tails {defrosted, if frozen}
14 eggs, beaten until yolks and whites are well-combined
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small cubes {or Boursin cheese, see Note}
Fresh chives, chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Truffle oil, optional

Toast bread in oven or in toaster. Rub one side of each slice with garlic {if you don't like garlic, omit this}. Butter and set aside.
Prepare the lobster: Do this before you start the eggs so there isn't too much going on at the same time. To remove meat from shell, use kitchen shears to make two cuts along the underside of tail {the softer side} and break away the shell. Once the meat is out of shell {before or after it is cooked}. remove the black vein that runs along the tail {pull it out or make a cut along the meat, as you would devein shrimp, and pull the vein out}.

Choice of options for cooking lobster:
*Remove meat from shell and saute whole in 2 tablespoons butter, basting it often, for about 5 to 8 minutes, until cooked through, then chop or slice for the eggs, or..
*Remove uncooked meat from shell and chop into chunks and saute in 2 tablespoons butter before adding to the eggs, or..
*Poach meat in the shell for about 3 minutes in water to which some white wine, carrot, celery, onion, chile flakes, fennel seed, mustard seed, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, kosher salt and lemon and oranges have been added. {Bring the water to a simmer before adding the tail.}

To prepare eggs:
In each of two nonstick pans {or one large pan}, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add eggs and turn heat to medium-low. For the largest curds, cook eggs with little stirring, instead pushing cooked part aside with a spatula and allowing uncooked eggs to move into place. When almost done, add cream cheese and stir.
Remove from heat. {Eggs will continue to cook.}

To serve:
On each plate, overlap two slices of toasted bread. Divide eggs and place on toast. Top with lobster and sprinkle with chives, a little salt and pepper. Drizzle a bit of truffle oil over eggs, if using.

Variations {instead of lobster}:
*Smoked salmon, topped with fresh dill instead of chives.
*Cooked crab meat {not the fake stuff, please!}.
*Small or medium-size cooked shrimp.
*Cooked whitefish.