Round three of The Saucy Coq’s Weekender Brunch, and for this one I’m going with a good ol’ hangover breakfast. For some reason, which was probably no reason at all, I was extremely hung a couple Saturdays ago. Advil wasn’t working. Water wasn’t working. Another drink didn’t work. All I needed was a good, heavy, buttery, greasy breakfast to do the trick.
I went with a spin on the classic Egg-in-a-hole breakfast. I hadn’t actually had this for years until I made it two weeks ago so it was hard to tell whether it was the actual food or the nostalgia that cured my hangover. I used brioche bread for a nice buttery, fluffy texture and covered it with a grated sharp cheddar and chopped chives for a kick.
To finish the breakfast off with a little dessert and knock the hangover out early in the 3rd round, I whipped some strawberry jam together with some fresh ricotta cheese and topped the brioche round that was cut from the bread. That was a little slice of Narnia right there.
Also, not pictured above: 3 awesome slabs of thick-cut maplewood smoked bacon, potato rosti and a tall latte.
Egg-in-a-hole: Hangover Edition:
2 slices brioche bread, 1.5 inches thick
unsalted butter
2 large eggs
Handful of Swiss cheese, grated
fresh chives, finely chopped
2 heaping tbsp fresh ricotta cheese
1 tbsp jam of your choice
Butter the slices of bread on both sides. Using a ring mold (or just a knife if you don’t have one) cut a hole out of the center of the bread. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and melt a little knob of butter until foamy.
Place the slices of buttered brioche in the pan, along with the center circles you’ve cut out, and gently crack one egg in to each hole in the slices. Allow the egg and bread to cook until golden brown on the bottom; probably about 3-4 minutes, but have a peek at the bottom after a few minutes to be sure you’re not blowing it. Once it’s nicely browned, flip the slices over. As soon as you flip it, drop some shredded Swiss cheese on the egg to melt. Now, if you want the egg medium, which I do, you’ll only want to leave it for for another 30 seconds or so. Just long enough to cook the white and brown the bread. Again, these are just guidelines since every stove and pan is different. Best to just poke the egg with your finger and see what you think.
Take the slice out and plate it. Top with chopped chives.
