He Speaks: Poached Egg & Bacon Muffin

Good morning! I'm so excited for today's post because it's coming at you from Shaun! If you've been reading for a while, you know all about the story of how we fell in love, how we got married on a beach in Aruba, how we spend the holidays...and just daily life that I often talk about with my wonderful husband. Shaun and I cook together all the time and I'm thrilled that he's finally doing a guest post. We definitely share a love of food, of eating, and of all things culinary...so without further ado...

Hi, I'm Shaun... Rachel's husband . I have followed this blog from its inception...taste testing Rachel's latest creations, reading over her shoulder as she writes each morning and have always wanted to write a post for it. I have long been a food fanatic and was enticed to write a post because The Avid Appetite combines articles I like to read... food knowledge and food science with a smattering of pop culture and Rachel's interests.

I believe (although it may be disputed by Rachel) that I got us started on this culinary ride, and it only made sense (very little at most, since Rachel is the brain and skill behind the blog) that I contribute something every once in a while since I also love getting in the kitchen, trying out new recipes...and playing ultimate taste tester. Today I'm excited to share a recipe and how-to. I recently learned how to poach eggs and it's too good not to share. So here's my recipe for a little poached egg sandwich...I hope you enjoy my very first post!

Raise your hand, paw or claw if you have ever poached something before reading this article.  From what I can see, it looks like less than half of you have your hands up (and I think that most of you with your hands up are confusing poaching with boiling). 

Most of us have tossed broccoli or cauliflower into a pot of boiling water, walked away, poured ourselves a glass of wine, fallen asleep on the couch and realized that the stove was still on.  We lumbered over to the stove top to find the broccoli or cauliflower done...done to death.  Watery, mushy and vapid.  Well, that's not really even remotely what poaching is all about.  Poaching is all about using the warm, comforting embrace of heated water to cook delicate foods to perfection.  Delicate foods like eggs, that had in previous times been fried, broiled, or scrambled.  I assure you that there is nothing warm and comforting about being scrambled or fried. 

 

It took me a while to work it all out, but let me show you a delectable breakfast recipe that incorporates a toasted English muffin, one slice of cheddar cheese, two slices of bacon and one deliciously poached egg.  Kinda reminds me of a mainstream fast food breakfast sandwich but with a lot more flavor.

 

Poached Egg & Bacon Muffin

Ingredients:

 

1 egg (I prefer chicken eggs)

2 slices of thick center cut bacon (there is absolutely no harm in using turkey bacon or fakin' bacon instead)

1 Thomas' Light Multi Grain Muffins (This recipe will work with any muffin or sandwich thin.  You can always go sans buns for a super low-carb option as well)

1 slice of Cheddar or American cheese

1 mini pinch of salt (applied to the poached egg once it has been cooked)

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

water, about 2-3 C

 

How to get things done:

This recipe can of course be scaled up to make as many sandwiches as you need, but I strongly urge you to not overcrowd the pan.

- In a small saucepan, bring at least 3" of water to a simmer.  That's where it has those little bubbles popping up on the outside.  CAUTION: Not a rolling boil

- Once water gets to a simmer, keep it there and split your muffin in half and drop it into the toaster

- While the muffin is toasting, lay down a layer of paper towel on a microwavable plate and slap your bacon down.  Cover with another layer of paper towel and microwave on high for 2.5 minutes.  Microwaving bacon seems like it should be illegal, but there are a number of benefits. 

1.  The microwave cooks it more evenly than on the stove top. 

2.  Cooking it with the paper towel on top save not only the microwave from becoming a disaster zone but also keeps your stove top from becoming a giant pain in the ass to clean.  (If you have an electric range this does not pertain to you but then again, if you have an electric range you might have other concerns.

- Add 1 Tbsp of white wine vinegar to the simmering water

- Once your muffin is done toasting and your bacon has been crisped, take the bottom half of the muffin and place it on a plate.  Add the one slice of cheese to the muffin, snap the bacon slices in half and add that on top of the cheese...now on to cooking the egg.

- Break one egg into a bowl (I actually use a teacup because it's easier, we never use them and it has a wide mouth (that's what he said) which makes it easier to drop the egg into the pot of simmering water without breaking the yolk which is the goal.

- Set your timer of preference for 2 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel covered plate to rest for 30 seconds.

- Add newly poached egg to the already assembled muffin bottom, cheese and bacon setup.  Cover with remaining muffin top...and consume.

It's perfectly velvety, runny and delicious. And I've decided to never go back to fried eggs again! Hope you like this recipe, photos of your poached creations would be much appreciated.

Questions of the Day:

Have you ever eaten poached eggs? Or made them?

What's your favorite way to eat eggs?

psst...Christine is telling us about her tips for managing breakouts on The Peach & The Pit!

The Giants Win! + Eating Roast Beef Sandwiches in Brooklyn

Well it wouldn't be a Giants game without a nail-biting, white knuckled, pit-in-the-stomach end!

 

I am soooo happy that the Giants won last night! We celebrated with our friends, ate a lot of delicious food (including blue velvet cupcakes & pizza dip) and stayed up way too late for a Sunday evening. Which leads me to wonder...why isn't the Superbowl on a Saturday night?! Either way, it was a blast! And now I'm on the hunt for a Giants Superbowl tee.

On another note, I also really enjoyed the half-time show. To be honest, I was underwhelmed by it going in since I just don't think Madonna is relevant right now (aside from her new, horrible thing that I won't even call a song). I was so hoping that Madge would sing Like a Prayer, and I was over the moon when she did...and that Cee-lo Green joined her!! Love him!

Oh and what about the commercials? Anyone? I was a little disappointed by them. I always love the Budweiser-Clydesdale commercials, and Doritos had some good ones. Nothing too exciting though for me!

Anyhow, we had an amazing weekend all around. On Saturday, we drove out to Brooklyn to have a little city exploration day with Kimberly & Nick. Food was the name of the game for our day-long excursion. Obviously.

We started the day at Brennan & Carr, a small (and old) restaurant in Sheepshead Bay.

hot beef, anyone?

When we arrived, it felt more like being in a Wyoming restaurant, with wood paneling and antlers on the wall. Brooklyn, who?

I love the old school vibe...nothing fancy, just a small dining room (or a takeout window) and a minimal menu. Known for their roast beef sandwich, we all had to try this one! Each of us opted for the knife and fork style...meaning, you guessed it, it's so wet from their famous beef broth that you literally need a knife and fork to eat it. The beef broth and roast beef were fantastic! Salty, tender and delicious.

We loved it!

The day didn't end there. Since we were so close to Coney Island, we had to take a ride on over since neither Shaun nor I had ever been there. But since this post has gotten long enough, that's a story for another time!

I hope you all had a great weekend and have a fab week ahead!

Questions of the Day:

What did you think of the half-time show?

The commercials?

What's the best sandwich you've ever had?

psst...I'm preparing for the end of the world over on The Peach & The Pit today!

I Had What Sally Had (Almost)

Over the last few months, S and I have been compiling a list of all of the foods and eateries that we are just dying to try. It's affectionately (and creatively) been named The List. Determined to start actually visiting some of the places on The List, we set out on an unbusy Saturday to Katz's Deli, the famed Lower East Side eatery. Home of delicious meats, pickles, and extremely long lines, you may know Katz's by the famed "I'll have what she's having" scene in When Harry Met Sally. While I scouted a seating location, S braved mobbed lines, returning with 2 giant sandwiches for sharing - hot pastrami on rye and a reuben - a bowl of the juiciest pickles I've ever tasted, and a Dr. Brown's Cream Soda. With lots of tables and celebrity photos of the likes of Chris Noth and Bill Clinton dotting the walls, it's a rustic, cafeteria feel serving up fatty, fabulous eats.

 The wall o' meat and weigh station

Hot pastrami and swiss on rye. Add a little mustard and you've got one of the best sandwiches of all time.

The Reuben was completed with saurkraut and Russian dressing. While the flavor was impeccable, the meat itself was a little too chewy for my taste.

Giant juicy pickles that sucked the moisture right out of my mouth 

Pastrami (also known as cured brisket)...yum!

 Guys slicing meat

 Outside Katz's

Bottom Line:
The sandwiches were delicious, with pastrami as the clear winner. Perfectly greasy and flavorful, I'd be hard pressed to find another as yummy. While it was quite a trek to the LES, and the lines were quite long especially at 4pm (not quite lunch, not quite dinner), for a great, giant sandwich with authentic Old New York feel, I highly recommend. And hey, if it's good enough for for a one Mr. Bill Clinton, then it's good enough for me.