JFK’s Last Meal

JFK’s last meal: 5 minute eggs, toast with butter and marmalade, freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee with hot milk, and bacon

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City/Region: United States of America

Time Period: 1963

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We know exactly what President Kennedy ordered for his last meal: toast with butter and marmalade, crisp bacon (Jackie’s notes stress that it should be oven broiled), a 5 minute egg, coffee with hot milk, and freshly squeezed orange juice. A rather simple start to a day that would change American history forever.

If you’re not familiar with the assassination of JFK, or even if you do, check out National Geographic’s new documentary JFK: One Day in America. I got to see it a bit early in the same theater where Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended. It’s definitely worth checking out.

“The president’s breakfast was ordered by his valet which told us that he would want five minute egg, boiled, crisp bacon, orange juice fresh, coffee with hot milk. He wanted hot milk with preference to cream. Toast with butter on the side, and he particularly wanted orange marmalade.”

— Marvin Love, who took JFK’s order for breakfast, 1963

“For soft-cooked eggs, place in boiling water and simmer gently from 3 to 7 minutes, depending upon consistency desired.”

— Metropolitan Cook Book, 1957

“Mr. K can eat nothing fried…Breakfast, Mr. K - crisp oven broiled bacon, orange juice - pepperidge white toast - coffee- marmelade”

— Jacqueline Kennedy, to private chef Tanya Herbst, 1958

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Ingredients:

• 7 to 8 strips of bacon
• 2 slices white bread, Pepperidge Farm if you can find it
• Butter, for serving
• Orange marmalade, for serving
• Freshly brewed coffee
• Milk, for the coffee
• 4 oranges
• 3 eggs

Instructions:

1. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and set the bacon on the pan, making sure that they don’t touch. Set the pan under the broiler and broil for about 3 minutes, then take it out, flip the bacon over, and broil for another 3 minutes. Keep an eye on it after you put it back in. The bacon will go from crisp to burnt very quickly. When it’s done, remove it from the oven and immediately place the bacon on a plate line with paper towels to soak up any grease.
2. Toast the bread to your liking.
3. Heat milk on the stove until hot.
4. Cut the oranges in half and use a citrus reamer to make some fresh orange juice. Pour into a glass. You may need more or fewer oranges, depending on how juicy they are and how big your glass is.
5. Bring a pot of water to a simmer and carefully place 3 eggs in and let them cook for 5 minutes. While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath. After 5 minutes, remove the eggs and place them in the ice bath for 1 to 2 minutes to stop the cooking process. Tap around the small end of the egg to break the shell, then cut the top off. Place the eggs cut side up in an egg cup.
6. Butter and marmalade the toast, add the hot milk to the coffee to your liking, then serve them forth with the orange juice, bacon, and eggs.

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