My Favourite Egg Sandwich

After a late night out dancing (naturally, in my younger years), I often came home hungry and in need of a little repast.  I hankered after something quick, easy—and of course delicious.  The contents of my refrigerator usually include eggs, bread and cheese, ingredients that marry well together.  My fondness for egg sandwiches was soon to get underway, but only after encountering many failed attempts first…. 

I’m embarrassed to say that I have eaten dozens of Egg McMuffins in my life.  Countless early morning excursions to Whistler for a day of skiing was usually the  activity culprit … but these McMeals served a need and everyone in the car was always grateful.  They’re tasty enough, but a guilty pleasure is not always good enough, nor nourishing enough—plastic-like cheese, combined with ham and egg on a pallid English muffin, doesn’t always suffice.

One would think that eggs, cheese and ham on an English muffin would be easy—and that combination is. But I am always in search of something that offers a little ‘more’ … something different yet approachable.  I like to experiment with food, and have tried numerous combinations,  of which most were delectable.  The recipe below is my favourite mix at the moment. 

A great egg sandwich begs for something creamy; avocado and mayonnaise add that component in the recipe below.  Spinach imparts an airy green bite, while tomato sparks a note of acidic sweetness.  The potential ingredients are limitless.  Try adding sharp cheddar cheese, provolone, or arugula instead of spinach (lettuce works well too).  Experiment and have fun, and even the most dubious fusions end up tasting yummy.

My Favourite Egg Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 whole wheat english muffin

1/4 avocado

slice or two of tomato

several baby spinach leaves, or arugula

mayonnaise—I am very fond of Hellmann’s with olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Lightly whisk one egg in a ramekin, add a splash of water (a scant tablespoon) and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with paper towel and microwave (yes, you heard me correctly) for approximately 1 minute or until it puffs up like a soufflé (keep your eye on it as you don’t want the egg to overcook and become rubbery).  Toast the english muffin while the egg is cooking.

Spread one side of the toasted english muffin with smashed avocado, and smear mayonnaise—as much as you like—on the other half.  Place the cooked egg on one half of the english muffin; top with tomato, spinach leaves and other half of the english muffin.  

Cranberry Pecan Scones

Scones are a beautiful thing...when you have the right recipe.  They should be rich and buttery; with a soft, crumbly interior and a delicately-crisp exterior.  So why, then, is it near impossible, to find really delicious scones?

My day started by searching the internet for Christmas cookie recipes, which then turned into a scone recipe hunt (mind-changing happens often when you have the World-Wide Web at your fingertips, and that day was no different).  So, I quickly amended my quest. I was now looking for a scone recipe that would use up the last bit of yogurt in my fridge, and one that incorporated pecans and cranberries. I had just bought some cranberries that were exceptionally soft and fresh and were begging to be made into something worthy; scones with cranberries and pecans would fit the bill perfectly.

The recipe below, which I found at www.fannetasticfood.com, is the one that won over the dozens I perused.  The recipe did not call for pecans, so I added a handful—and they made the scones, in my humble opinion.

Cranberry Pecan Scones

Adapted from Fannetastic Food Blog

Ingredients:

(makes 8 scones)

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tbsp. cold butter
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or dried cherries)
• 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup organic plain yogurt—I used 2%

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

1.    Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2.    Add in the butter, slice by slice, cutting with a pastry cutter.

3.    Stir in the dried fruit, pecans and the yogurt.

4.    Form dough into a ball, place on a greased/cooking sprayed baking sheet and pat down into a circle about 1/2 to 1/4 inches thick.

5.    Sprinkle with sugar and cut into 8 segments.

6.    Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes or until edges are slightly crisp and the top is lightly browned.