Maple Egg Grilled Cheese

April 12, 2013 By 3 Comments

It’s months like these that make me proud to be an American.

That’s because April is Grilled Cheese Month! Give me grilled cheese or give me death—that’s how the saying goes, right?

Well, Land O’Lakes has teamed up with Kitchen PLAY to celebrate grilled cheese.

Also, through the end of April, Land O’Lakes will donate $1 to Feeding America every time someone pins or repins a Land O’Lakes recipe on Pinterest. Just head to www.landolakes.com to find your favorite recipes, pin them, and start giving back.

And, with recipes like the one below, you are going to be pinning like crazy.

Grilled cheese is one of my favorite foods because there are so many ways to dress it up. It can be elegant or trashy and it is always just what I feel like. Even for breakfast.

You know, that time when grilled cheese isn’t usually served.

Keyword: usually.

The important things here are very thinly sliced cheese, so it melts evenly, and getting the fried egg right. Nothing is more disappointing than an overdone egg, and nothing is more delightful than a gooey egg yolk.

 

Except, perhaps, a gooey egg yolk atop a perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

Maple and Egg Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

3 oz. Land O Lakes® Deli American Cheese

2 slices bacon, diced

2 slices sandwich bread

1 egg

1 tbsp. butter

1 dash chili seasoning (cayenne, pepper, salt, and garlic powder)

1 tsp. maple syrup

 

 1. Put the bacon in a dry, hot skillet and cook over medium-high heat for about 12 minutes, or until the bacon is very crispy. Take out of the pan and drain on a paper towel but keep the bacon grease in the pan and the pan hot.

2. Put both bread slices in the hot pan. After 1 minute, or when they are toasted, take one out of the skillet. Turn the other one and add the cheese.

 3. Top with the bacon.

4. Cover the whole thing with a lid, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 3 minutes, or until it the cheese is melted. When it is totally gooey, remove the cheesy bread and set it aside. Do NOT top with the other slice of bread.

5. Melt the butter in another skillet over medium heat…

6. And fry your egg. You want the whites JUST set and the yolk still runny.

 7. Put the egg onto the sandwich

8. Drizzle on the maple syrup and add the chili seasoning.

9. Now top with the other piece of bread, push down to puncture the yolk, and…

10. Serve.

This is everything breakfast should be— hearty, filled with healthy fats and protein, and just a little bit indulgent. Unlike traditional grilled cheese, which must be flipped, this can be made by somewhat clumsier chefs (my middle name isn’t exactly Grace). The egg, along with the cheese, acts as an adherent for both pieces of bread. The bacon is evenly distributed and the maple syrup adds a wonderful sweet taste to an otherwise savory meal. The crowning touch is, of course, the cheese. Tangy, soft, perfectly melted. It’s everything an ideal grilled cheese sandwich is.

So go pin this on Pinterest. And while you are at it, check out some of the other fabulous grilled cheese sandwiches participating in this program by clicking on the graphic below! Not only are you helping a good cause…you are gonna have a great breakfast tomorrow, too.

 *Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Land O’Lakes as part of the Kitchen Sidecar series. All opinions given are my own.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: ,

Rosa Mexicano Brings Mexican Breakfast to NYC

February 14, 2013 By 1 Comment

 I am supremely excited.

Mexican breakfast is finally coming to locations all over NYC. There are places that offer Mexican breakfast dishes, but now a full fledged Mexican breakfast menu is coming to an upscale Mexican chain so that you can get your spicy, savory morning fix almost anywhere in the city.

Rosa Mexicano’s breakfast menu hits this month, and it is gonna hit hard. At a recent press meal, I was very impressed.

Nopales con huevo

Yeah, it’s cactus. And, here, anyway, it’s pretty damned tasty! Citrusy with a texture similar to mushrooms, it isn’t at all slimy or dirty tasting as I feared it might be. It’s just a really nice, filling addition to a scramble filled with sweet red peppers and slightly spicy chiles. Served with a soft roll spread with smoky black bean paste and creme fraiche, this is a really hearty way to start your day without feeling weighed down or greased up.

 

Machacado con huevo

This shredded beef with eggs and vegetables is absolutely magical. In Tucson, carne seca (this dried, shredded beef) is a religion. Traditionally, slices of beef are cured in garlic, chiles, and spices, then set to dry on the roof in the dry Arizona heat. Then the beef, which is somewhere between jerky and pork floss, is shredded and turned into tacos or Macachado con huevo – a scramble made with fluffy eggs, sautéed onions, and this spiced, intensely flavored beef. The texture of the dish is soft but well textured with the chewy shreds of beef. the way to eat it is to layer it in a warm flour tortilla with some of Rosa Mexicano’s house made salsa. It’s one of the best breakfasts anyone could ask for, and was one of my favorite dishes of the tasting.

 Fried eggs carnitos hash

What’s a breakfast without pork, right? It’s an incomplete and ill though out one, and luckily Rosa Mexicano does not fall into this trap. The hash is soft and filled with sweet porky flavor, offset by a salty, bright tomato (ranchero) sauce. The sauce is redolent of garlic and cumin, accenting the pork’s natural flavor and the gooey, creamy egg yolk. the crowning touch is the habanero apple relish, a gelee substance that adds a very bright, fiery note to the dish.

Breakfast tamale with chile poached eggs and chorizo

Creamy. Spicy. Meaty. Cheesy. Polenta with smoky chile poached eggs. If you like grits you will love this. If you like LIFE you will lovethis. The standout at our table, and a gut-busting breakfast for sure. This is the dish that takes me into food coma territory.

Mezcal Bloody Mary

The smoky mezcal definitely comes through in this Bloody Mary, but the hit of alcohol is pleasantly tempered by the robustly flavored drink, filled with garlic and a very smoky chile rim. Don’t get this if you don’t like smoke…and feeling a little tipsy around 10AM.

Rosa Mexicano isn’t a cheap or fast breakfast. But it is so, so tasty. It’s not the same as eating tacos at a roadside stand or chowing down on migas at an abuela’s cafe, but it is the next best thing, by NYC standards. Look for the breakfast menu to hit February 23, and – like I said – it is gonna hit hard.

*This was a press event. I was not required to write about my experience and my opinions are my own and unbiased.*

Rosa Mexicano on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: review Tagged With: ,

Good Enough to Eat – Sweet in More Ways Than One

February 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I recently got to go to one of those restaurants that I never get to go to, one of those places that always has lines out the door and down the block on a Sunday at 10 AM.

It’s called Good Enough to Eat, and you know what…it really is.

This cute little restaurant is a kitschy piece of Aunt Mae’s kitchen right in NYC’s UWS. It literally has a white picket fence outside and inside, and there are embroidered mottoes, on the wall, mismatched teacups on the shelves, and homemade cakes lining the counter.

If it were any cuter, it would have its own tumblr.

Though this spot serves all day straight though dinner, you really come here for the breakfast and brunch fare.

Fruit and cottage cheese

Groundbreaking? Hardly. Fresh, generously portioned, served with full fat cottage cheese – yes, absolutely. After quite a few sub par fruit salads in NYC diners and high end restaurants, this really deserves all the kudos i give it.

Pancakes with homemade strawberry butter

So thick, so fluffy, so airy yet rich and buttery…this is the pancake setting standard. It is substantial enough to stand up to a thick pouring of real maple syrup yet soft enough to cut with only a fork. Lightly vanilla scented, and perfect with the fruity, fragrant strawberry butter. Strawberries might be outta season but they sure do taste great when mixed with unsalted butter.

Unpictured is the thick cut bacon I go ton the side. When I mean thick cut, I mean thick cut. Almost like a salty, smoky, beautifully crunchy yet meaty hamsteak. Really awesome stuff.

Good Enough to EAt is a very nice brunch place, but not worth a 2 hour wait. Then again, what is? That being said, if you can go on a weekday or a weekend when the whole city is out-of-town, go there! The food is very tasty and well priced,and the service and atmosphere are positively sweet.

Come to think of it, I think this place should have its own tumblr.

It really is that adorable.

Good Enough To Eat on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: review, Upper West Side Tagged With: , ,

How to Make Saturday Breakfast Sandwiches

January 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Especially on weekends, when your day should not start until 12 noon at the earliest and should include reality tv, a disco nap, and a chance to go out and embarrass yourself in an inebriated state later that night.

TMI?

Anyway, while on a weekday, instant oatmeal might cut the mustard, that ain’t the way it should be on the weekend, when you actually have time to drink some heavily creamed and sugared coffee, putter around the kitchen, and put together a kick ass breakfast sandwich. Just take a few things into mind. 1. Cheese

Nothing too stinky, nothing too salty. The point of this breakfast isn’t to shock your tastebuds into alertness, it’s to gently wake them up and cradle them as they come into a day that will surely include some beers and baskets of fries. Something with a good meltability is mostly what you want. Some medium sharp cheddar, mozzarella, or even -ssshh- American cheese – works really well here.

2. Pork

Yeah, I said pork. Sorry to my kosher and halal friends. I apologize to the vegans out there. And little piggies…well, you are very cute but also very delicious. I’m never giving you up. Now, I’m flexible as to the type of pork – crisp bacon, soft sausage, scrapple, even thin sliced pork loin. What you want is the natural salty sweetness of pork – it just works really well with the rest of the sandwich.

3. Eggs

Don’t even think about using egg whites here. Just shut up. Scrambled or fried work well. If you fry them, be sure to do it on a medium high heat and finish them by steaming them with a little water under a lid, so the yolks raise up high and get pleasantly gooey whilst the whites are firm. And if you scramble them, be sure to season them well – eggs love pepper.

4. Bread.

Get out of there with your whole wheat, low gluten, fiber-riffic loaves. Don’t throw me a tortilla (not without some refeid beans and salsa, at least). Use a tangy toasted sourdough, a fluffy and airy biscuit, or some rich challah bread. Break out all the stops – you really want a full on, indulgent experience here.

5. Layer(starting with the cheese, so the warmth of the other ingredients melts it)…

it…

 

on.

6. Top with Sriracha, ketchup, or even maple syrup. Whatever floats your boat – this sandwich needs a little something saucy to really get it going.

7. Eat. At least three of them.

Is it Saturday morning yet?

 

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: ,

Top Notch Breakfast at the Hob Knob

January 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Okay, it’s time for just one more Martha’s Vineyard restaurant.

It isn’t really a restaurant, it’s the breakfast part of the bed and breakfast where my mom, sister and I stayed while we were there.

The Hob Knob is an adorable bed and breakfast in Edgartown. It has individually decorated rooms, luxurious linens and bath products, and a nearby farm where it gets nearly all of its produce and dairy.

Plus, there is wifi in every room. This is a bed and breakfast done right.

Especially the breakfast part.

Each stay here includes the first meal of the day in the room price, and with a meal this good, it really is the most important one. Check out the food porn:

Fresh Fruit

As you sit in the eccentric-upscale-homey (yes, that’s actually how I would describe it) dining room, you will be brought fruit. It isn’t anything exceptional, but he attention to detail and presentation is lovely.

Blueberry scone

Don’t bother to count carbs here. The scones are things of beauty. Soft, airy, and served warm, they are on the sweeter side of scones. They taste like the top of a blueberry crumb muffin – sugary, buttery, perfect with a pat of melting butter.

Eggs and bacon

The soft boiled eggs, served in vintage egg cups, are served alongside sourdough bread and thick slices of salty, smoky bacon. Like all the meat here, the bacon is locally produced and the eggs are procured from the farm down the street. They are truly delicious – creamy, firm white surrounding a fluorescent orange yolk, intensely buttery and rich.

Rum Soaked French Toast

The french toast is custardy and almost spicy, spiked with cinnamon and nutmeg. It is served with coarsely ground sausage that is moist and porky without being overly greasy or fatty. Dunk  a piece of the toast in the real maple syrup and the spicy, sweet, intense taste of the rum fairly explodes.

The Mag-a-Muffin

This take on eggs Benedict is a little lighter than the original. Fresh farm eggs are poached and served atop ripe tomatoes, Canadian bacon, and an English muffin. It’s satisfying without being heavy and it’s very tasty. That’s what having such fresh ingredients does – it elevates everything. All the tastes are crystal clear and sharp – rich egg, sweet tomato, salty meat, and yeasty bread. Totally in sync and totally delightful.

The entire Hob Knob experience is totally delightful. It isn’t cheap, but the service is excellent, the rooms are lovely, and the food is really delicious. The next time you head to Martha’s Vineyard, book yourself a room here, because the only way that you get the breakfast is to book the bed.

Filed Under: Massachusetts Tagged With:

Sweet Potato Hash

January 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I don’t really like sweet potato pie. And because of that, I thought I didn’t really like sweet potatoes.

But I was wrong. And if you think you don’t like sweet potatoes, because the only way that you have ever had them is pureed into a cinnamon heavy pie or buried under gooey marshmallow sludge, you might be wrong, too.

That’s why I am so glad that I took a chance, and, in the process, liberated the sweet potato from its overly sweet confines.

This recipe is easy, it is very versatile, and it is so tasty it will blow your mind.

Feel free to toss in some fresh spinach, mushrooms, or cherry tomatoes at any time in this process. Quite frankly, some bacon would be damn good here too.

Of course, everything is just a background flavor to these tasty potatoes.

Viva sweet potatoes!

Sweet Potato Hash

Ingredients:

3 small sweet potatoes, or 2 large ones

1 onion, diced

1 or 2 serrano chilies (depending on how spicy you like food), diced

1 clove garlic, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Pour the oil into a pan and set it on high heat. When it starts to “wave,” add the onions and garlic, then turn the heat down to medium high. This allows the onions to start frying without burning the garlic. Let this go for about 10 minutes, or until the onions start ot turn golden and are dark brown in some spots.

2. Cut the well washed potatoes into small chunks, so they cook quickly. No need to  peel them – the skin tastes great!

3. Add the potatoes to the pot…

and stir them so each one is slicked with oil. Then, cover the pan with a lid, and walk away for 15 minutes. Only check on them if there is a distinct smell of burning or tons of smoke in your kitchen.

4. When the potatoes are soft when punctured with a utensil, remove the lid and…

add the jalapenos. Now turn the heat back to high and let the potatoes cook for another 10 minutes, occasionally stirring.

See those lovely browned spots? That’s just what you want.

5. Serve.

Preferably, by the way, with a fried egg and pancakes, like I did. This is so tasty. The potatoes are sweet and soft, complimented by crunchy shards of fried onions and the absolutely fiery heat of the jalapenos. The small chunks of potato soften when the lid is on the pan, then immediately crisp on the outside when the pan is uncovered. It’s the perfect combination of crispy-tender, salty-sweet, spicy-smooth. Serve it with some Greek yogurt and you are in business.

 And that’s the story of how I liberated the sweet potato.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: ,

Landmarc – Meatballs for Breakfast

December 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Landmarc, a casual but upscale restaurant in the Time Warner Center,  isn’t just about its cotton candy.

Well, truth be told, it really isn’t only known for its cotton candy.

It’s known for eclectic food done well and at a fair price.

 As you sit in the large, industrial-chic dining room overlooking Columbus Circle, you will be helped instantly by a well informed and efficient server. Only once have I had anything less than exemplary service here – it is usually beyond reproach.

 Oh yeah, and you can order anything off the menu at any time of day. That means these for breakfast:

Lamb Meatballs with whipped ricotta and mint

Nothing like meatballs for breakfast, especially these meatballs. Juicy and soft, spiked with sharp mint and a bit of chile in the slightly spicy, fresh tomato sauce. The ricotta adds a layer of lushness, echoing the grassy taste of the lamb. They are extremely juicy and not heavy at all.

I mean, really, I could eat at least 6 of these and feel as light as a feather.

Frisee aux lardons with red wine vinaigrette

A charming version of my very favorite salad. The frisee is crisp but not bitter, with a sharp and savory vinaigrette. The lardons – actual lardons, not just skimpy bacon bits – are thick and smoky, salty and crisp.

Paired with two glorious poached eggs, silky and rich when split open, this salad is everything that I want in the morning. It is buttery, salty, meaty, crisp, and fresh.

Duck confit and sweet potato hash

This fell a little flat, since the sweet potatoes were  not crispy enough and the onions were a little undercooked and bitter as well. The duck, while a bit dry, was pleasantly tender,and the eggs were cooked well.

In a restaurant of greats, though, why would you go for the one mediocre dish?

In the uber-expensive Columbus Circle area, this restaurant is a total find. Fairly (though far from cheaply) priced, extensive menu, and generally wonderful food.

And I lied…of course it’s always about the cotton candy.

 

Filed Under: Midtown Tagged With: ,

The Russian Tea Room – A Breakfast Fit for a Czar

November 30, 2012 By 1 Comment

The Russian Tea Room reminds me of my paternal grandparents. Once, when I was in high school, my family went to dinner there with them. The walls were covered in blood red, there was gold glinting off of every surface, and my grandmother ordered vodka the way that I had never seen it before – drunk straight,out of a martini glass with a pickled onion. We ordered chicken Kiev, filled with buttery, parsley flecked sauce and caviar served with a dollop of sour cream and tangy sourdough blinis.

My grandmother tried to get me to try some venison, but that was when I still thought of venison as Bambi.

The Russian Tea Room has since undergone changes. It closed, it reopened  it was renovated  and it has added weekday breakfast. At a recent press event, I was lucky enough to try the extravagant, expensive offerings.

The room is as I remember it – restored to grandeur instead of totally redone. Over the top in the best way possible – all red and green and gold for the holidays. Dramatic Tchaikovsky plays while servers in imperialist-style costumes silently pour mineral water and offer glasses of tea with marinated cherries, the way that Nikolas himself would have drunk it. The feel is glamorous and theatrical and a little Disneyland. In a word – it’s perfect. It’s exactly what you want from The Russian Tea Room. I can’t even imagine how glamorous it would be to come sit in one of the secluded banquette and eat caviar from your lover’s fingers at a midnight dinner date.

Sorry, I know I’m not Carrie from Sex and the City. Just forgot it for a sec

The Czar’s Eggs

Soft boiled eggs, topped with salmon caviar and gold flecks. That’s right, gold flecks. Just in case you didn’t know that you were in the swankiest restaurant this side of the Odessa, this should remind you. The eggs themselves are lovely – soft but firm whites with thick, gooey yolks. The salmon eggs, briny but not salty, work well against the buttery yolk. They provide a bright pop of flavor that really mix up the textures and flavors. The accompanying sour cream and red onion are playful reminders of traditional caviar accompaniments. Though the blinis are well made, I did miss the crisp crunch of sourdough toast soldiers to dip into my egg yolk.

Not enough not to eat them, mind you.

Frittata with Cheddar, Bacon, Potato and Onion

An excellently made frittata. Softly scrambled eggs with lightly crisp edges and an airy, almost custardy center. Soft, sweetly caramalized onions were threaded throughout, as were woodsy time and fresh parsley. Thickly cut bacon is crisp and smoky, echoing the smoky taste of the cheddar, rich and tangy in its longs, melted strands. The best part of this frittata may be the hunks of creamy red potatoes, soft and fluffy in some parts and toothsome and hearty in others. Who knows why this is Russian; all I know is that it is delicious.

The Russian Tea Room is a total trip. Is it more expensive than your college education? Sure. Do you have to get dressed up to go? Absolutely. Is it worth it for a special occasion treat that calls to mind the glamorous days of old NYC? Worth it and then some. As Ferris Bueller would say “If you have the means, I highly recommend it.”: And as my grandma would say”

Next time, get the vodka.

Will do, Grandma.

Disclaimer: My meal was paid for by the restaurant. I was not required to write about my experience, and my opinions are my own and unbiased. 

Filed Under: Midtown Tagged With: ,

Tick Tock Diner Doesn’t Deliver on Breakfast

October 9, 2012 By 4 Comments

I love television. I love period dramas like Downton Abbey, fantasy series like Once Upon a Time, and reality shows like The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I watch TV a LOT, and a show that is always on at my house is Diners Drive ins and Dives. Not because I love Guy Fieri (sorry, buddy, you’re just not my type), but because I love the idea that wherever I am in this country, I can eat at a local mom-and-pop joint instead of a generic drive though. As goofy as Guy seems, he has rarely steered me wrong, and I often end up at out-of-the-way places that I would never have known of, had it not been for his TV show.

That’s how I ended up at Tick Tock Diner, on the show for its massive portions of homemade food, where the motto is “eat heavy.” I mean, with a motto like that, how could I pass it up?

At 8 AM on a Tuesday, it wasn’t exactly hopping, but it was clean, servers were courteous, and coffee came fast and hot. Sadly, it wasn’t really the right time for their famous disco fries, I went with my second favorite diner food: an omelette.

Athens omelette with spinach, tomato, and feta served with homefries and toast

I don’t know what I was expecting..maybe an omelette bursting with tangy feta, Jersey tomatoes, and bright green spinach, all blanketed by creamy eggs. Maybe freshly diced potatoes cooked with sweetly caramelized onions until the potatoes were impossibly crispy and salty. Maybe home-baked bread, thick and wheaty next to a pat of melting butter.

This wasn’t that.

It was an ordinary omelette. A fine one, served quickly and to order, but it wasn’t exemplary. The vegetables were fresh but not especially memorable, the omelette was sizable but not gargantuan, and the homefries were more soggy than crunchy. The toast was serviceable but not more than that. This was a fine omelette. One worth getting off the highway? Hardly.

Melon and Cottage Cheese

This wasn’t revelatory either, but it didn’t have to be. Ripe, sweet melon and full fat cottage cheese is just as perfect as it comes.

You let me down, Guy. I marked this place off on the map, expected to be dazzled, and was instead disappointed. If my hopes hadn’t been so high, I am sure that this would have been a very fine breakfast. But, as it stands, don’t get off the road for a breakfast at Tick Tock.

And if Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives comes on at the same time as The X-Factor?

Well, Britney still hasn’t let me down.

Filed Under: New Jersey Tagged With: ,

Western Bacon Cheeseburger Pancakes

September 27, 2012 By 2 Comments

Wednesday was National Pancake Day…how great is that?! In honor of it, I invented a pancake recipe of my own. Something a little heartier, a little sassier, a little more…perhaps…ridiculous…than standard hotcakes. Some might say it reminds them of a burger from a certain West Coast fast food chain. Some might say it reminds them of a gluttonous nightmare. Most of you are going to say it’s a perfect way to celebrate this tasty holiday.

Western Bacon Cheeseburger Pancakes

Ingredients:

prepared pancake batter (enough for about  6 pancakes)

4 strips bacon, chopped

1/3 lb. ground beef

2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2/3 cup French fried onions, plus more for garnishing

sesame seeds for garnishing

1 tbsp. grill or bbq seasoning

bbq sauce to serve

1. Cook the bacon over medium heat until it is very crisp.

2. In the meantime, combine the prepared pancake batter with the cheese, spices,…

and fried onions.

3. Mix to combine.

4. When the bacon is cooked, add the ground beef and cook until it is totally browned and cooked through. The remove most of the beef with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pan.

5. Move the beef in the pan into a small circle…

6. And layer about 1/6 of the batter over the beef. Top it with a few sesame seeds (a hamburger needs a sesame seed bun, right?!).

7. When the batter looks like this, with little bubbles all the way around the edge of the cake, flip it.

Ta-da!

8. Repeat steps 5-7 until all the pancakes are cooked.

9. Drizzle with bbq sauce, top with extra fried onions, and serve immediately.

These are a gluttonous fat kid delight. The pancakes are fluffy and savory. Crispy bacon, juicy spiced beef, gooey cheese, those delightfully salty fried onions…who wouldn’t like this?! Be sure to use a good quality bbq sauce here, because it really brings the pancake-burger hybrid together. This is insanely and guiltily tasty. Try it and you will be hooked.

Now, I just can’t wait for national foie gras day…foie gras pizza, anyone?

 

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts