Winter, for a change from the last few years, has really been looking much more like the winters the Sierra is known for. It’s dumping as I write this. And, as we all know, with snow comes houseguests. So what’s going to happen tomorrow morning when everyone in the house all wants breakfast at the same time so they can all get to the slopes for that first powder run?
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“I’m talking about a great bacon, egg and cheese sandwich that can even be made to travel well.”
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This is one way to feed lots of people in a short amount of time with everyone being able to eat at the same time and, no, I’m not talking about cereal. I’m talking about a great bacon, egg and cheese sandwich that can even be made to travel well.
I know what you’re thinking: How in the heck can you make eight or 10 bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches and have them all come out at the same time? Most toasters alone will foil the plan due to the fact they can probably only toast four slices of bread or muffin halves at a time. Then, there is also the problem of cooking all those eggs. Frying that many eggs alone will take an hour when you only have one or two pans that the eggs won’t stick to. Oh yea, and who has a skillet large enough for maybe 20 pieces of bacon?
Poach the eggs
OK, so here we go. The first key is to poach and not fry the eggs. First, fill a large pan with cold water with a few ice cubes thrown in. This is to stop the eggs from cooking so they don’t come out like little golf balls. If you have assembly help and are poaching in the morning, you can skip the water bath, and give them a quick rinse under hot water to rinse off the white foam that accumulates, and spoon onto a rag or paper towel to absorb the water before placing on the sandwich. Break the eggs into a couple of bowls to avoid any shells ending up in the sandwiches.
Bring the water to a low boil with a few drops of vinegar added to hold the whites together. Add the eggs one at a time to the water. If the eggs separate too much, add a little more vinegar. You will probably need to keep adjusting the burner a little hotter as you add the eggs to keep the water at that low boil. The low boil bubbles will curl the whites up around the yolks and helps keep the eggs from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once all the eggs are in the water, you will have to probably turn the burner back down a little to avoid a hard boil. Depending on how many eggs you drop into the water, the first eggs will be close to done when you drop the last egg in.
Use a slotted spoon and gently lift the eggs out giving them a gently touch for firmness. If you’re going to be taking them to go, you will want them a little firmer so they don’t ooze all the yolk out. By the way, if you are poaching a lot of eggs, you can use your roasting pan to insure they fit. Also, you can poach the eggs the night before, keep them in a cold water bath in the refrigerator and reheat in the morning by dropping them into hot or low boiling water while the bacon is cooking.
Use biscuits
The second hint is to use some of those flakey pop and fresh biscuits. Cook them all together on a sheet pan and they are all done at the same time. They are light and flaky and are great for breakfast sandwiches. You can easily split them open lined up on the counter, and place a slice of cheese on each bottom while the bacon is cooking and you’re reheating the eggs.
Cook the bacon in the oven
Lastly, cook the bacon by lying out on sheet pans with parchment paper and cooking in the oven as soon as the biscuits are done. Most ovens will have two or even three shelves, so the bacon cooks at the same time. Just be careful because the lower rack will cook faster and you don’t want to burn any bacon.
Once the bacon is done, all that needs to be done is break each piece in half as you place over the cheese. Go right down the line of sandwiches with the bacon and then spoon an egg onto a towel to absorb the water, place on the bacon and follow up by placing the tops on. Ketchup is, of course, optional. Enjoy.
Smitty is a personal chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special events. Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is known for his creative use of fresh ingredients. To read archived copies of Smitty’s column, visit chefsmitty.com or TheTahoeWeekly.com. Contact him at tmmsmitty@gmail.com or (530) 412-3598.
