Eggs over Bacon-Infused Croutons

Dear Devon,

If you haven’t already guessed, one of my biggest anxieties is an empty kitchen. Normally, my kitchen is never in such a barebones state that this should be a worry, but a fridge without eggs or milk is empty by my standards. Given the Spanish penchant for holidays, I am never sure when the market will be opened or closed. I had planned a short midweek vacation before the holidays. I did a whole round of grocery shopping before leaving just to be safe.


My list included fresh bread. Nothing beats the smell or taste of fresh bread. But, unfortunately, it has drawbacks, namely preservation. Generally, this is not a problem, but this time I was gone for three days, leaving my bread on the counter. I returned home to a rock hard loaf. I now understand how recipes like bread pudding, croutons, and panzanella originated.

I pulled together a quick breakfast, by frying cubes of the hardened bread in a bit of bacon-infused olive oil. Onions and rosemary were tossed in for some extra flavor and a bit of warmth. Crispy fried eggs topped this savory mountain of old bread. I was careful to keep the yolk loose. I wanted the broken, gooey yolks to ooze into the crannies of the hardened bread. It’s a little messy but definitely worth the clean up.



Eggs over Bacon-Infused Croutons
(serves 2)

½ loaf of stale bread
2 slices of thick bacon
1 small onion, sliced
1 sprig dried rosemary
1/3 cup to ½ cup olive oil
2 eggs

With a heavy knife, dice hard bread. Be careful with your fingers. I found cutting through the bread a bit scary. Fry chopped bacon in a sauté pan. Remove the browned pieces of bacon from the pan and set aside. Add a touch more olive oil, about ¼ cup of fat, including bacon fat. Gently fry cubed bread in oil. Sprinkle in dried, crushed rosemary leaves. Drizzle with olive oil as the bread cooks to encourage even browning and flavoring. The bread will soften as it soaks up the fat and eventually begin to toast up into crunchy morsels. Add sliced onion and cook until translucent. At the end, toss in the bacon. Remove the entire mixture to an awaiting bowl. In the same pan, fry eggs sunny side up.

To serve, scoop out a generous spoonfuls of toasted bread mixture onto a plate or bowl.

Note: I avoided salting this dish, as the bacon is already quite salty.

Fried Bagels

Dear Devon,

Who said that food blogs have to be about haute cuisine? As much as I daydream about labor-intensive chocolate raspberry tartes, simple, easy to prepare meals are always on my mind. Inspiration comes in every form, from the elaborate desserts at the now-defunct Payard to one-day old bagels.

Next to beagles, bagels are one of my favorite things in the world. A freshly baked and boiled bagel, hot and warm, slathered with green-flecked scallion cream cheese is absolutely irresistible. Just thinking about this wonderful delight, I'm drooling on my keyboard. Even yesterday's bagels can make me jump out of bed. But when I'm feeling especially decadent, and there is not a chocolate croissant around, I fry a bagel in butter. It's absolute genius. The bagel develops a crisp and crunchy exterior, infused with the heady smell of melted butter, mottled and golden brown, while the bite remains chewy and dense. Any variety of bagel can be used. I generally choose an everything bagel. Sesame, salt, poppy seed, onion, I can never decide, so everything is usually the choice for one who wants it all! Delicious, delicious.







I welcome any excuse to use my whimsical bacon press. Every house should have one, if not for cooking, then for sheer nostalgia. Bacon presses belong in the days of toast racks and canning jars, both of which I endorse. Mine is particularly fun because of the cute pig cast on the pressing surface. I am also enthralled by the bold text "Bacon Press" emblazoned across the bottom, lest we forget what it is for: BACON!! If you don't have a press, you can substitute a brick, wrapped in foil. I have no experience with foil wrapped bricks, so I can't attest to their efficacy.


Fried Bagels

2 bagels, any variety
3 tbsp butter
cream cheese, of your choice

cast iron pan
bacon press

In a large cast iron pan, melt two tablespoons of butter.

Slice bagels in half along the equator and generously butter. Put the bagels cut side down into the melted butter. Place the bacon press on top of the bagels. Cook over medium heat, just until the bagels turn a golden brown. Check frequently to avoid burning your bagels.

Top with a big smear of cream cheese. Serve open-faced.

Toodles
Michelle