Claudette Colbert's Favorite Sunday Dinner Featured Scrambled Eggs And Ham

Breakfast for dinner is not a new concept; you may have indulged in this fun switch-up when you were a kid or if you just needed an easy dinner idea as an adult. There's a sense of nostalgia and fun tied to the meal. Plus, if you do it right you can still have a fairly balanced dinner. Whether you go for a savory French toast or stick with a simple omelet, you can't go wrong. For golden-age American actress Claudette Colbert, a version of breakfast for dinner was part of her typical Sunday night meal.

According to Silver Screen Suppers, with research compiled by Jenny Hammerton, a film archivist and author who wrote "Supper with the Stars" among other celebrity cookbooks, Colbert often enjoyed a simple dinner of scrambled eggs and ham. Colbert was fond of enjoying her dinners outside at the beach; she'd pack up all the needed supplies and ingredients for a relaxing oceanside meal. While her dinner is fairly straightforward, she gave the humble ingredients a few refined upgrades for an elegant meal. Her eggs were cooked with cream and butter for a silkier texture. The way she prepared her ham has a few additional steps.

First, before she even left the house, she would soak her ham in tempered water for 30 minutes. Presumably, it softens the meat and makes it easier to slice. Once at the beach, she'd saute the ham with onions and butter. In addition to the ham and eggs, she'd also saute some mushrooms in the ham mixture as well. Even though it's simple, it's delicious.

While Colbert's version is fairly simple, that doesn't mean yours has to be. One of the beautiful things about the simplicity of this meal concept is that there are several ways to spruce up the meal to your liking. If you want to experience it most similarly to Colbert, you could always try adding a sauce on top of her recipe. Hot sauce or even a mustard-based sauce brings in the depth of flavor while still honoring the original recipe format.

If you want to get more creative, you could try making a hash. To do this all you need is a base of breakfast potatoes. Then add your ham, eggs, and any sauce you want. If you have the time, a frittata is a great way to serve a crowd of people, and it looks beautiful as well. There are a hundred ways to prepare and pair these ingredients, so take the time to find the one you love best.