Candied Bacon French Toast Casserole with Mixed Berry Syrup

We served Candied Bacon French Toast Casserole with Mixed Berry Syrup at the Sunshine State Eggfest.  

This dish was Alexis' idea, and it was a huge hit.  There is a lot of sweet in this dish, with the homemade syrup and whipped topping but the candied bacon has just enough saltiness to balance out the sweet.

With 4,700 people attending, our sample sizes were a wee bit smaller.

This dish is suitable for serving at an Eggfest because about 90% of is can be made ahead of time.  That also makes it great to serve the family on a weekend morning.

Candied Bacon French Toast Casserole with Mixed Berry Syrup

Ingredients

For the Candied Bacon

Tex-Mex Brisket Benedict

This dish was inspired by a breakfast that Alexis and I had a few weeks ago at First Watch in the Bearden district of Knoxville.  Their Barbacoa Benedict was a summer special menu item that had braised barbacoa, 2 poached eggs, Hollandaise sauce, and sliced avocado on a ciabatta roll.

First Watch's Barbacoa Benedict

Although I was inspired by First Watch's Barbacoa Benedict, I didn't want to just copycat it - I wanted to riff off of it.  

• Beef - Our waitress didn't know if their barbacoa was beef cheek or brisket but whichever, it was braised.  I used smoked brisket for my protein.
• Saucy - Although Hollandaise is traditional for Benedict, I borrowed a page from Croque Madame or Kentucky Hot Browns and used a Mornay sauce.
• Extras - I wanted to kick up the flavors a bit with fire roasted tomatoes and Hatch green chiles.

My Tex-Mex Brisket Benedict was a wee bit different.

Lobster Eggs Benedict

[FTC Disclosure:  I received no compensation for this post and I'm not contracted by Smithfield Foods or their PR firm.  However, in full disclosure, they did take me on two trips this year.]

When we were in Smithfield, VA, we had breakfast at the Smithfield Gourmet Bakery and Cafe. One of the items on the menu was Lobster Eggs Benedict and of course, almost everyone in our party opted for that dish. It was a split biscuit topped with ham, eggs fried over easy, Hollandaise sauce and of course, lobster. 

Lobster Eggs Benedict as served at the Smithfield Gourmet Bakery and Cafe in Smithfield VA.

 As I was eating it, I told myself I would be making it at home and staying true to my word, here it is.

I'm sure that you guessed we made this on our grills instead of inside.  You were right.  Here's what we did.

First we started with Alexis making pan style buttermilk biscuits.  She did that on one of our ceramic kamado grills set up with an Adjustable Rig but you could also use any type of indirect set up for the kamado grill, such as a plate setter or heat deflector.  It is best to bake them high up in the kamado so you take advantage of the heat reflecting down.

Look how moist and flaky these biscuits turn out.  I love them this way instead of the typical round biscuits.

Next I made a Hollandaise sauce.  I beat about 5 egg yolks and a splash of cold water until frothy. I put that over a double broiler and whisked in clarified butter until doubled in volume. Then I seasoned it with lemon juice, cayenne, and a bit of salt.  Use a thermos or double insulated mug to keep your Hollandaise warm. That way you don't have to worry about splitting it when heating it back up.

Next I baked 6 eggs in a muffin pan. I seasoned them with a little BBQ rub and salt. This was indirect on a ceramic kamado grill running 350°f.  I bake them until the egg whites are set, about 15 to 20 minutes.  

While the eggs baked, I prepped the lobster.  I just split open a thawed tail, removed the meat, and cut it into bite sized chunks.

Tip:  Seafood proteins are wimps. They can't handle heat at all before they start to degrade, so always keep seafood as cold as possible until the last minute you use them.

I put the lobster bits in the muffin pan, poured warm clarified butter over them and put them back in the grill for just another few minutes. 

Because the butter was already warm, it only took a few minutes for the lobster to get done which is an internal temperature of 135°f.

We had ordered a nice Charles Henry Gray ham but that was for Thanksgiving and I wasn't touching it before the big day, Alexis would have killed me. So instead I ran to the store and picked up a ready to eat Smithfield Anytime Boneless Ham.

Once everything is is cooked, it's just a matter of putting it all together.  Split the biscuit and top it with sliced ham, 2 eggs, lobster and the Hollandaise sauce.

As great as theirs was....I have to say mine was a wee bit better myself :)   Now I just want to try it again using some of the leftover Charles Henry Gray country ham that we had for Thanksgiving. 

In March of 2015, I was in Nashville for the National BBQ Association's annual conference and staying at the Sheraton Music City Hotel.  It was snowing out so I got room service and was surprised to get some of the best huevos rancheros I have ever had.

The huevos rancheros in question.  They used poached eggs and 3 chile black beans were in the mix.  It was amazingly good, way better than you'd ever expect from room service.

That dish stuck with me and I finally got around to making a version of it this weekend when I had some leftover brisket from a community service event that we cooked for last Thursday.  Because what would go better under huevos rancheros than 3 chile black beans?  How about a black bean, chile, and brisket chili!?!  

Huevos Rancheros with Brisket and Black Bean Chili

Published 08/25/2016

Spicy black bean and chopped brisket chile topped with crispy grilled tortillas, fried eggs, and Oaxaca cheese all smothered with homemade fire roasted salsa.  If you don't have leftover chopped brisket, you can always buy some from your local BBQ joint.

Ingredients

• 8 corn tortillas
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups fire roasted salsa
• 2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup pico de gallo
• 1 cup Mexican crema

For the Brisket and Black Bean Chili

• 2 cans Bush's Seasoned Black Beans
• 1/2 cup leftover chopped brisket
• 1 onion, sliced, grilled, and diced
• 1/2 of a fire roasted poblano chile, seeded, peeled, and diced
• 1/2 of a fire roasted jalapeno chile, seeded, peeled, and diced
• 1/2 of a serrano chile, seeded, peeled, and diced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1/2-3/4 cup beef stock

Instructions

1. Preheat grill to 350f (medium).
2. Mix all chili ingredients together in a grill safe pot.  Place on grill and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.  (Alternate method using raw chiles and onion:  Just dice the onion and chiles, then saute in a pot over medium high heat until tender, 8-10 minutes.  Add in remaining chili ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.
3.  Grill tortillas until crispy, about 1 minute a side.  Wrap in foil and keep warm.
4. Fry eggs sunny side up (or to your preference).
5. Place a cup of the brisket and black bean chili on a plate.  Top with two of the tortillas and two eggs.  Smother the eggs with salsa and serve with pico de gallo, crema, and avocado on the side.  Repeat for other 3 plates.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 30 mins.
Total time: 50 mins.

It might be difficult to find the Oaxaca cheese but it's worth it if you can find it.  I call it "Mexican mozzarella" because it is rich, buttery, and melts like a dream.  We buy ours at Kroger or Walmart in the refrigerated Latino foods section in the Dairy department.

I had leftover brisket because we cooked for a community event.  I brought the "Warthog" stick burner out of storage for this one. 

Huge 18 lb Certified Angus Beef brisket that we bought from Kroger.  I wish that we had a regular, consistent source for CAB briskets in Knoxville because the last 2 we have gotten were very nice.

I injected using Butcher's Original Brisket Injection.  I switched from the Chops Power Injector to this type of injector because I like that it applies metered doses instead of guessing how much I have injected.  Each squeeze of the hand grip is 1 to 5 cc, depending on the settings.  This way I am injecting a consistent amount everywhere.

You probably noticed that I separated the point and the flat.  We do this at competitions, mainly because it cooks quicker, more evenly, and it gets me better bark coverage for my burnt ends.  Here's a great video by David Bouska of Butcher's BBQ about how to trim this yourself.

I used a dalmation rub (salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper).

To get the Warthog going, I do about 6 small, cross-stacked splits of hickory or oak and use a shovel to put about a half chimney starter of live charcoal briquettes on top of the splits.  Then I open up the intake vents and exhaust ports full bore to get the air flowing.

We cooked roughly 50 lbs of chicken, 40 lbs of pork, and 20 lbs of brisket for the event, which is why I used the stick burner.  This was in addition to vacuum sealed freezer packs of pork and beef that we had from previous competitions.  We were anticipating 100 guests and had enough food for 150 guests.  That's why we ended up with extra, which is a good problem to have.  Sure beats the alternative.

This is the leftover part of the flat heated back up for the eggs.  To reheat brisket I wrap it in foil with about 1/3 cup of beef stock and put it in a 250f oven for 45 minutes to an hour, just until it gets flexible again.

I grilled the veggies for the black bean and brisket chili on my Big Green Egg Mini-Max.  It's perfect for small jobs like this.

My recipe for homemade fire roasted salsa is my most recent post.

I grilled the corn tortillas to get them crispy, about 30 seconds per side at 350f. 

Breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, this meal is a winner.  I like making the salsa, chili, and pico de gallo ahead of time so all I have to do is toast some tortillas and fry some eggs.

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  I received no compensation for this post.  I have no affiliation with Sheraton, Big Green Egg, or Butcher's BBQ.  I have a good relationship with Certified Angus Beef but have received no benefits or compensation from then this year.  

Triggers Breakfast Quesadilla

Is it weird that the best breakfast around Perdido Key, FL is as a seafood restaurant?

Triggers Seafood Restaurant is located on the sandy terrain of Gulf Beach Highway on the run in to the Naval Air Station.  We have eaten there every trip we have taken to Perdido Key in the past 4 years.

It is a style that I call "Florida seafood shack".   A Florida seafood shack typically is a little worn around the edges, but it has great staff, is independently owned, and relies on the local fisheries for the freshest product.  It probably has a basic menu that covers the bases.  It is the polar opposite of the insipid environment of a corporate chain restaurant.

One thing I am not used to from seafood shacks is breakfast service.  But Triggers does that exceptionally well.  Their pancakes are Trevor's absolute favorite anywhere.  They are plate sized, a mile high, and fluffy.  My favorite thing is a special that is not on the menu but they will make it if you ask - the breakfast quesadilla.

Here is what I noted that is different about their quesadillas that I wanted to replicate when I made mine "Triggers style" last weekend.

• crispy tortilla - not at all greasy or soft
• almost an inch thick, huge!  
• lots of crisp texture from raw bell pepper, not sauteed
• fluffy eggs
• not too much cheese

Instead of the sausage, ham, or bacon options that they offer, I decided to mix it up a bit and use andouille.

Triggers Breakfast Quesadilla

by www.nibblemethis.com

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 4 eggs, well beaten
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup Johnsonville andouille sausage, diced
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup sweet onion, diced
• 1/4 cup tomato, seeded and diced
• 1.5 Tbsp neufchatel cheese or cream cheese, diced
• 1/4 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 burrito sized flour tortilla
• butter or oil
• Cilantro, sour cream, salsa, etc for toppings

Instructions

1. Preheat a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Melt 1 Tbsp or so of butter and add sausage, bell pepper, onion, tomato, cream cheese, and half of the monterey jack cheese.
2. Immediately pour in eggs and scramble 3-5 minutes until done and the cheeses are melted in.
3. Place on one side of tortilla, top with the remaining monterey jack fold other side over.
4. Put butter/oil mix on a 375f griddle and cook until crispy on both sides, about 1 minute each.
5. Serve with Cholula hot sauce, sour cream, and cilantro.

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Avoid the temptation to saute the veggies first if you want the crisp texture like Triggers.

The andouille is fully cooked so you don't have to worry.

The challenge was mimicking their crispy tortilla.  So many breakfast quesadillas have a soggy or greasy tortilla.  Triggers has a commercial flat top to handle that.  I used an electric flat top skillet set at 375f.  At that temp, the pressure of the steam trying to leave the tortilla is as great or greater than the pressure of the oil trying to get in to the tortilla.   So it keeps it from getting greasy.

Alexis declared this better than Triggers.  I would rate it "as good as".  I definitely met the 5 objectives that I had for copying their awesome quesadilla.

Then again, I should be able to nail it.  I ate it three days in a row while there.

The staff at Triggers treats the many regulars like family and treats new visitors like regulars.  We had the same waitress all three days and it was like we had been coming there every day for 10 years.  She recommended we head up the road to catch the last day of the Blue Angles practice sessions.

If you are ever in the Destin/Pensacola/Perdido Key area in March, do yourself a favor and spend a day at the Naval Air Station to catch the practice in the morning.  We saw it with 8,000 of our closest friends.   It is IMPRESSIVE.

  

Any time of the year, visit the Naval Aviation Museum at the same site.  It is FREE and you will be amazed at the displays.  If you are like me, plan on spending a full day, the place is HUGE and the exhibits are detailed. 

Baa Baa Blacksheep anyone?

From the first planes to modern fighters.

Obligatory beach shot at Perdido Key.  Looks pretty but it was cold and windy.

TL;DR - If in Pensacola/Perdido Key area, go to Triggers for breakfast and then the Naval Aviation Museum located in the Naval Air Station.

Tall Boy Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

A few months ago, the highly acclaimed Asheville restaurant, Tupelo Honey Cafe, opened a new location in Knoxville.  

Alexis and I stopped by for breakfast a while back.  If I had to describe it in just a phrase it would be "Southern comfort food meets Appalachian hipster" (in a good way).  It was difficult to choose from the enticing menu options but I choose the Chicken and Biscuits.

Some of the best fried chicken I've had in Knoxville.

Man oh man, was that was "shut your mouth" good.  The crispy fried chicken breast on top of their signature scratch biscuits and a creamy milk gravy were phenomenal.  But this isn't a review, just background for this morning's breakfast.  

This morning, a cold, wet snow was falling and I had a serious craving for some Southern comfort food.  I thought about that chicken and biscuits.   I didn't have any fried chicken, so instead I went with sausage gravy and homemade biscuits.  

The original recipe was supposed to yield 8 biscuits but the first time I made these, I cut them too thick and only got six.  The result was biscuits that cooked up so tall, they topple and fall over.  This was a happy accident because they were perfect for splitting in half for gravy biscuits!  We've done it that way on purpose since then.  Trevor calls them "tall boy biscuits". 

Still steaming hot!

Tall Boy Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

adapted from Food Network

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (4 servings)

For the Tall Boy Biscuits

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 lb unsalted butter, cut into 8 Tbsp portions
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream

For the Sausage Gravy

• 12 oz bulk breakfast sausage
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• pinch kosher salt

Instructions

For the Tall Boy Biscuits

1. Toss flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add 7 Tbsp of the butter. Run the mixer on medium-low (3-4 on a Kitchenaid standmixer) until the butter is cut into pea sized pieces.
2. Add the milk and mix until the dough comes together and pulls from the side.
3. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a 5" x 8" rectangle about 1" thick. Fold one third over the center, fold the other third over that and roll back out into another 5" x 8" rectangle. The Food Network recipe compares it to folding a letter but with the advent of email, that is almost an antiquated reference. Repeat 3-5 times.
4. Use a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter and cut out 4 to 6 circles that are 1" thick. You will have to regather the dough scraps and roll back out for the last 1 or two biscuits. Place biscuits on a parchment lined baking tray.
5. Melt the last Tbsp of butter and mix with the cream. Brush on top of the biscuits.
6. Bake the biscuits at 450f for 15-18 minutes until they are golden brown. They will expand and topple, don't worry.

For the Sausage Gravy

1. Brown the sausage in a wide pan, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Remove the cooked sausage to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the pan.
2. You need about 2 Tbsp of grease in the pan. Lean sausages may leave less than that, add some bacon fat or butter if needed. Whisk in the flour until it forms a light roux, about one minute.
3. Whisk in about 1/3 cup of the milk and whisk until the roux is blended with the milk (10-15 seconds). Repeat 2 more times until all the milk is incorporated into the gravy. Now you can whisk in all of the half and half, pepper, cayenne, and salt at once. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
4. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 2-4 minutes.
5. Stir in the sausage.
6. Split the biscuits in half and top with the sausage gravy.

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Make sure they start off at least 1" tall.

Puffalicious!

So good and filling that I didn't even have to eat lunch today!

Prime Rib Eggs Benedict

This dish kept me up last night because once the idea struck me, I couldn't stop thinking about it. A crispy hash brown cake topped with shaved prime rib, a poached egg, and a tangy Bearnaise sauce.   

No kidding, I thought about it going to sleep and several times when I woke up during the night.  I thought of little details, like using the leftover egg whites from the Bearnaise sauce as a binder for the hash brown cakes.  By the time I got up this morning, I had the idea all worked out.

This is by no means a tutorial on how to make a Bearnaise sauce.  There's a little bit of an art to that, knowing how to avoid splitting the sauce (over heating, too much oil) or over cooking the eggs.  If you have never made a Hollandaise or Bearnaise sauce before, I'd recommend googling a video or two on how to make one, first.     

Prime Rib Eggs Benedict

by www.nibblemethis.com

Ingredients

You'll need

• 8 oz prime rib, finely shaved (or any thinly sliced roast beef)
• 6 eggs

for the hash brown cakes

• 20 oz refrigerated hash browns
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

for the Bearnaise sauce

• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 3 sprigs fresh tarragon
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 8 black peppercorns, crushed
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp cold water
• 1/2 cup clarified butter (melted but cooled slightly)

Instructions

1. Make the hash brown cakes. Mix all ingredients together. Form into six cakes 1 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400f for 45 minutes or until crispy and cooked through.
2. Make the Bearnaise sauce. Place the wine, vinegar, stems from the tarragon (leaves removed and reserved), shallot, and pepper in a small sauce pan. Cook over med-high heat until reduced by 2/3rds. Strain the liquid (gastride) and set aside, discard the solids.
3. Bearnaise sauce (continued) In a double broiler over medium to medium low heat, rapidly whisk the egg yolks and water until frothy and doubled in volume (about 5 minutes). Add the clarified butter in small batches, whisking continuously. Add the liquid (gastride) and chopped tarragon leaves. Whisk until thickened to point of coating a spoon. Keep warm in a thermos.
4. Poach the eggs. In a large pan with 1 1/2" of almost boiling water (190-200f) and 1 Tbsp of vinegar, ease each egg into the water. Cook for 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove.
5. Assemble the Benedict. Top each cake with some of the beef, an egg, and the Bearnaise sauce.

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Using a 4 inch ring mold makes forming the cakes easy and you can pack them tightly.

The gastride will be insanely fragrant, but don't worry, it won't overpower the sauce.

I use a mixing bowl over a 3 quart pan to make a double broiler.

Shave the beef as thinly as you can.  It doesn't have to be whole slices.

They were delicious, better than a normal Eggs Benedict but then again, it's not every day that I have leftover prime rib in the fridge either.  Next time I'd be tempted to pan fry the hash browns instead for time purposes.