Chippoke Cooks — Habañero, Bacon, Egg, and 「Cream」 Cheese Chive Breakfast Muffin
Chippoke Cooks
Habañero, Bacon, Egg, and 「Cream」 Cheese Chive Breakfast Muffin
Chippoke (and I) had a hankering for a hearty breakfast sandwich this morning. But the pre-packaged frozen sausage, egg, and cheese hockey pucks buried in the quarantine freezer just didn't seem to fit the mood. Now don't get me wrong. There's nothing inherently wrong with the frozen variety but, in these uncertain and irritable times, I was in the mood for some homemade genuine Drive-Thru comfort food.
And isn't consuming perishable goods first in times of emergency the responsible thing to do?
The first step was selecting a base. A structure. Something crispy to hold everything together…but still slightly soft, chewy, and absorbent enough to soak up all the wonderful juices and flavors. We were out of asiago bagels so Chippoke chose the next best tried-and-trued substitute. Thomas' English Muffins of course!
We’re going a bit out of order, but be sure not to waste the leftover olive oil from the next photos! Use a silicone brush to lovingly drizzle and coat your english muffin. This will help transform all the fork-split nooks, cracks, and crannies into those wonderful toasted and charred Craggilies!
One might call me a heretic, but it’s my heartfelt opinion that light breakfast sandwiches call for microwaved eggs and pre-cooked bacon. Maybe it’s just nostalgia kicking in remembering those special pre-dawn stops at the McDonald’s Drive-Thru with my Father when I worked in his photography studio.
Skillet-fried eggs and oven-broiled bacon, on the other hand, are true heavy brunch staples. I might be convinced to document my brunch-style muffin if Chippoke feigns enough interest. You know. For science.
Season the egg before cooking for a bit of contrast and choose your additional toppings! This morning was smoked bacon chipotle habañero sea salt, a bit of fresh cracked black pepper, and chive and onion cream cheese.
The magic behind the perfect homemade Drive-Thru sandwich is the ramekin. Usually reserved for measuring ingredients, crème brûlée, and soufflé, the ramekin is the perfect vessel to shape and cook your Drive-Thru egg patty!
Simply pierce the yolk multiple times with a toothpick to prevent explosions and cover with a paper towel, wax paper, or parchment paper to prevent splattering. Microwave on Medium power for 35-60 seconds to create a perfect, fluffy, muffin-sized patty that’s either over-hard for portability or over-easy for maximum sloppiness.
Our battle-tested Breville toaster oven provided the perfect environment to Craggle the English muffin, crisp the pre-cooked bacon, and melt the American cheese! Yellow pre-packaged American cheese is the usual gold standard for maximum meltiness. But I’ve found that room-temperature fresh-sliced Land O'Lakes deli American cheese gives the best hot sandwich results!
Fold the pre-cooked bacon in three and toast on the English muffin top for 4-8 minutes to create a crispy, magical, oily, finger-licking vessel. When there are only a few seconds left before the Craggles become Charggles place the American cheese on top of the crispy bacon for instant melt.
Be careful, though, as this is where mere seconds decides whether the cheese will be a gooey melty glue that binds everything together or a Charggled crusty mess. So don’t walk away, keep an eye on your masterpiece, and remove just as the cheese starts bubbling.
Chippoke has decided that chive and onion cream cheese goes on anything. Spread a liberal dollop on the English muffin bottom before final assembly. This will not only keep your egg patty glued in place and prevent slippage but it also adds an unworldly, creamy, tangy, and almost sweet offset to the salty bacon.
And presenting the finished tour de force of childlike nostalgia with just a hint of overrated maturity. Just lie to the picky eaters in the family and claim it’s a Build-Your-Own-Bacon-McMuffin-With-Egg kit.
Ingredients
1x fresh egg
1x slice fresh-sliced Land O'Lakes deli American cheese
1x slice pre-cooked bacon
Chive and onion cream cheese
Implements
Technique
Allow the slice of American cheese to come to room temperature. Room temperature American cheese will melt much more quickly and evenly.
Use a fork to split and tear the English muffin. Tearing vs. cutting creates more surface area for toasted Craggilies to form.
Drizzle a light coating of olive oil inside the ramekin to lubricate the egg. A silicone brush will help evenly coat the entire surface.
Drizzle any leftover olive oil over the insides of the English muffin. Don’t forget to wipe the silicone brush on the English muffin to harvest all leftover olive oil.
Fold the pre-cooked bacon into thirds and place on the English muffin top.
Toast the English muffin and bacon at the same time for 4-8 minutes. The setting on our Breville toaster oven was 4 slices of toast at darkness level 7.
Add the American cheese atop the bacon with only a few seconds left. The room-temperature cheese should instantly start to melt.
Crack an egg into the ramekin, puncture the yolk repeatedly with a toothpick, and season with your choice of salt and pepper.
Microwave the ramekin of egg on Medium for 35-60 seconds depending on your yolk preference. If in doubt, start with a shorter amount of time as the egg will continue to cook after removed from the microwave.
Slather the English muffin bottom with chive and onion cream cheese.
Slide the egg from the ramekin, assemble, and enjoy! Mascot optional.
