We recently attended the annual “Picnic Day” at UC Davis, which is kind of like a big carnival day at the school. (Also a day for most of the student body to get plastered. My brother is an ER doc and used to work in Davis. He said on Picnic Day he would have students in to the emergency room by TEN IN THE MORNING with alcohol poisoning. Can you imagine? I can’t. I’m Mormon though, so I guess that explains my dumbfoundedness. «not a word. Before going into any of the auditoriums for the day’s events, they make you uncap your water bottles so they can smell them to check for booze. Crazy right?)
Anyway, all this to say that on Picnic Day, Eric scored some free t-shirts for himself and the kids. A week later he pulled on his freshly laundered shirt to work out in, and it was so tight he could barely get it over his head. He kept going on and on about how it shrunk in the wash SO MUCH, and how is that even possible for it to have gotten so small in one wash, and I’m just in the corner silently rocking with laughter, because of course I could tell that it was actually one of the kids’ identical shirts, a Youth Large size. I really wish I had snapped a picture so that I could torture him publicly on the internet.
So if you read my last few posts (bacon, hollandaise, grilled cheese) you might have heard me mention today’s recipe a hundred times at least. This recipe is worth 3 runner up posts, I promise. Let’s break it down a bit. Get some challah bread (I bought mine at a bakery). Use it to make a thick grilled cheese, but when you flip it the first time, layer some cooked bacon on the outside of the bread, cover with cheese, and then flip. This will give you a crispy cheesy layer on the OUTSIDE of your grilled cheese.
So this is already the best grilled cheese of your life, right? BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. Poach some eggs. Add one to the top of your crispy, cheesy, melty sandwich, then smother with lemony hollandaise sauce, sprinkle with black pepper and green onions, and you’ve got yourself the best freaking brunch you’ve ever had in your life. This is a famous dish at a local restaurant here in Sacramento called Bacon and Butter. (Yes, aptly named. If you are ever in Sacramento, GO.) I tried to get them to share the recipe with me, but nothing doing, they said it’s secret. So I made up my own, and guys, I’m telling you, it is spot on. I have ordered this at least 5 times (it’s my favorite dish at my favorite restaurant) and now I’m so excited to be able to make it at home too!
I loved how this turned out so much that I made it Saturday to take pictures of it, then again on Sunday when we had some friends over for dinner. Obsessed maybe? I learned how to poach eggs just for this recipe. I’ve always been too scared to try it. I followed Alton Brown’s video to a tee (including salt, vinegar, and using a thermometer to get the temperature just right). It wasn’t as hard or fussy as I thought it would be. Don’t be afraid to try it out!
Do you know how to get perfectly round poached eggs? Just cut off the edges! I feel like if I knew the secret was cutting off all the ugly parts I wouldn’t have been so scared to make poached eggs. It would be easy to do a lot of the work for this meal ahead of time. Bake the bacon a day in advance. Make the hollandaise the day before. Shred and slice the cheese you’re using. You can even make the poached eggs 8 hours ahead of time. Then all you really have to do last minute is make some grilled cheese and reheat everything, no bid deal!
I think this would be the perfect Father’s Day brunch, if you’re into making breakfast in bed. Who wouldn’t love to wake up to this?? If you make this recipe, share it on Instagram using the hashtag #TheFoodCharlatan so I can see it! I love that. Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter One year ago: Aunt Shirley’s Famous Dinner Rolls Two years ago: Tomato Tart with Blue Cheese Five years ago: Fast Spinach and Mushroom Tortellini Here’s the Hollandaise Sauce I used for today’s recipe:
And here’s the recipe for how to bake the bacon:
Here’s how to make the Best Grilled Cheese of Your Life:
Breakfast of champions! Cheesy Overnight Bacon and Egg Casserole
Overnight Biscuits and Gravy Casserole « personal favorite!
Savory Parmesan French Toast with Hollandaise Sauce:
More benedict breakfasts! Avocado Benedict with White Cheddar Hollandaise from Country Cleaver « whaaat mic drop Chipotle Guacamole Eggs Benedict from Cookin Canuck Bacon and Eggs Benedict from Taste and Tell
