The Philosophy of Food, Issue #025: Baked Eggs 01

You know those moments when you discover a completely new genre of music that broadcasts on the same frequency as your soul, in stunning HD, filling you with an inexplicable and uncontrollable desire to dance, sing, or pick up an instrument?  Well, I just had that experience, but with breakfast food.

The name of the genre is baked eggs, and you have got to taste these beats.  Or not beats.  No, you definitely don't beat these eggs. . . but you get the point, right?

The basic formula follows.

1.  Butter a ramekin.
2.  Add 1 to 3 layers of meat and veggies.
3.  Crack an egg into that sucker.
4.  Sprinkle lightly with grated cheese and ground black pepper.
5.  Bake at 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes.
6.  Experience the Rapture.  In your mouth.

Seriously.  This formula is pretty much the Kama Sutra for your taste buds.

Okay, so here's the specific dish I made.

The Ingredients (and Supplies)
-1 ramekin per egg
-Butter or butter substitute
-1 slice of bacon per egg, crumbled
-1 smallish tomato per egg, sliced
-Grated sharp cheddar cheese
-Ground black pepper
-Eggs

The Process
In your buttered ramekin(s), layer in the sliced tomato and crumbled bacon.  Crack in the egg and dust lightly with the grated cheddar cheese and ground black pepper.

Bake at 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes.  Remove and enjoy.

It's important that you cook your bacon before loading it into the ramekin.

Well butter my ramekin and call me a toaster.  Actually, don't call me a toaster.  That's racist.

Juicy tomato!

Bacon is magic.

And just load these puppies into the oven. . .

The Results
I think I've already expressed my utter and complete glee at discovering this particular genre of egg dish. . . but it bears restating.  Baked eggs are frakking fantastic!  This dish has changed my entire perspective on breakfast.  Life altering.

The egg in this one wouldn't sit in the middle. . .

So I was sure the next one had a little bit of an indent.

BEHOLD!  BREAKFAST!

All of the praise aside, there are a couple things I'd do differently.  In the oven at my folk's house, 15 minutes was a little on the early side.  I think they could have used another 5 minutes or so, just so the whites don't stay so runny.  I might also substitute the black pepper for a very conservative amount of creole seasoning.

All that said, there are more variations to try.  You could make this with a layer of shrimp rather than bacon.  Or toss in some shredded lettuce to make it a BLT baked egg.  The combinations are limitless, and doubtless you will see more in the days to come.

Blooper Reel #002: Maple Mishap

So.  I often have crazy ideas.  Sometimes these crazy ideas positively smell of genius.  It turns out that genius can smell an awful lot like fail.

I mentioned in a previous blog post that I had found a new brand of maple bacon to try out in an attempt to recreate my Sweet Tooth Mexican Fried Rice dish.  While the new brand showed better results than Oscar Meyer, it still wasn't up to the task.  So, I decided to try something new.  Something radical.

Adding maple syrup directly to bacon. . .

I'm beginning to see a problem. . .

The thing is, syrupy products like, well, syrup or honey, are hard to cook with.  Or, at least, I've found them to pose several unique challenges.  Namely: they're sticky and easy to burn.  Just. . . just take a look at how that bacon turned out.

Looks like a cross between a xenomorph attack and a burn victim. . .

There are certain instances in which this unique challenge results in delicious.  When I was living in New Orleans I would sometimes add a little honey to the surface of hamburger patties.  This produces a burger that is a crispy well done on the outside while still being a pleasant medium rare on the inside.  For our purposes today. . . the technique is not well suited.
 

Perhaps the biggest challenge of this method is the oncoming clean up. . . *sighs*

Crumbled blackened bacon with the white rice.

After the salsa and egg have been added.

And, the finished product. . .

The end result is not inedible.  It is also a far cry from what I intended.  Rather than a maple sweet contrasting with the salsa spicy, the entire dish took on the burnt sweetness of barbeque.  It's okay, but not what I wanted.

My ideas and advice to myself for future experiments in this area:
-Add the maple syrup much later in the dish.  Perhaps after the rice but before the salsa.  Maybe even after the bacon is done fully cooking.
-Use a god damn measuring spoon for the maple syrup and start small (1/4 teaspoon).  You are not a cowboy shooting from the hip.  You do not eyeball it.
-Consider using real maple syrup instead of store brand maple substitute.