The breakfast sandwich is a beautiful thing: egg, cheese, some kind of umami addition, and great bread. What’s not to love?
I recently came across an egg sandwich in Toronto’s Kensington market that made me totally rethink my breakfast sandwich game. Egg Bae serves up a breakfast sandwich on a sweet eggy bun with soft scrambled eggs, a dollop of sweet caramelized onion, and a blanket of Muenster cheese. It is heavenly.
Here’s my version, without sugar. I start with Ace Bakery buns, which I’ve only ever used as my go-to hamburger bun (wait for this summer’s ultimate hamburger recipe) but it’s a perfect replacement for Egg Bae’s sweeter bun.
It’s got a brioche character to it, a golden crust, and crunchy sesame seeds. So good. I stop at a cheese shop in Kensington market to buy a block of Muenster cheese, which I’ve never dealt with before but it’s nutty and buttery like an Edam and when it melts, it’s slinky, divine. I’m putting two thin slices per sandwich.
The day before I made a batch of caramelized onions which is just always great to have on hand. I put them in sour cream for a great chip dip. They can go in a casserole, with pasta. They’re a great flavour boost.
Now I have a bone to pick with most caramelized onion treatments: they include sugar, which I don’t think is necessary. My caramelized onions involve: three finely shredded onions (mandoline comes in handy here), two tablespoons of olive oil, salt & pepper, and in the last few minutes, about three tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, which gets reduced and turns naturally sweet.
Look at that golden deliciousness. It’s a commitment: I spent about 20 minutes over medium heat breaking these down, my hair smells like an onion factory, and it’s worth it.
Now for the star of the show and something I’ve never made before: soft scrambled egg. So normally I treat the scrambled egg like it can handle roughness. I whisk the eggs, season them with salt & pepper, maybe add a dash of cream, and let it set until it starts cooking at the bottom, flip it around and break it up until it’s set and browned. That is not how to make a soft scrambled egg.
A soft scrambled egg is a delicate thing. You’re trying to create curds, not a broken down failed omelette. I scour You Tube for guidance. Gordon Ramsay’s version is interesting but he uses more butter than I’d like and undercooks it just a score less than I’m signing up for. Bon Appetit gives me the guidance I’m seeking, although I never achieve this look.
I start with four eggs with 1/4 tsp herbes de provence.
Whisk until it binds and no more.
Place a large pat of butter into a non-stick fry pan at medium-high heat and, once the butter has melted, pour those eggs into the pan.
You can see to the left of my pan that I’ve already prepared my buns for the sandwich: spread some mayo at the bottom of the bun, add a healthy dollop of caramelized onion and keep nearby for easy plating.
My eggs are in the pan and now this is a full-time job to keep cross hatching those eggs with a spatula to help them cook into curds and not an omelette. Occasionally, I remove the pan from the heat and keep cross-stirring to fully incorporate the egg mixture before returning to heat.
It only takes a few minutes of concentrated effort until, voila! Soft scrambled eggs.
Spoon half of the mixture onto that bottom half of the bun, drape two slices of Muenster cheese, and pop that under the broiler for 30 seconds—just enough to wilt the cheese.
That broiler does the cheese trick and helps the eggs set a bit. Remove from broiler, add the top buttered bun and you have got one elegant looking breakfast sandwich.
That is a glorious sandwich right there. The unctuousness of the soft scrambled egg, the slight sharpness of the melted Muenster, the salty sweet addition of caramelized onions, and a perfect bun. What a great way to start the day.
Trish Hennessy
A Year in Sandwiches 