Ultra Deluxe Bacon, Egg, And Cheese Biscuit Recipe

There are good breakfast sandwiches, and then there are great breakfast sandwiches. What separates the two is more than ingredients alone, although a particularly luxurious ingredient can go a long way — it's more about how each ingredient is used. An egg, for example, can be fried and slid between toasted hamburger buns for a gooey, runny egg sandwich, or it can be transformed into a delicate, fluffy patty that holds a stack of meaty sausage or a pile of crispy bacon strips. Believe it or not, even bacon can be elevated into tender lardons, which are thicker, crunchier, and more savory than their thin-cut cousins.

Some days call for good (or even half-decent) egg sandwiches, but others, when you have a full pot of coffee and a morning free from work, are better outfitted with ultra deluxe bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwiches. Each component of this luxurious breakfast sandwich is intentionally crafted, but not difficult to make — with some patience, the sandwiches come together easily. Fresh, aromatic biscuits, fluffy eggs, pork belly lardons, and plenty of melty cheese, all made from the comfort of home? That's the definition of luxury.

The lardons in this recipe are made with pork belly, which is the uncured version of bacon. To make them as written, purchase a strip of pork belly, which is about ¼-inch thick. From there, you'll also need hot honey to coat the pork belly. For the egg patty, grab eggs, heavy cream (or whole milk), and salt. For the biscuits, you'll need self-rising flour, butter, cream cheese, buttermilk, shredded cheddar, and chives. If you don't have self-rising flour, you can substitute the same amount of all-purpose flour and 3 teaspoons of baking powder. To finish the sandwiches, then, you'll just need a few slices of cheese — we recommend Colby Jack, but you can also use cheddar, Monterey Jack, or provolone.

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

To make the egg patties, first combine the eggs, heavy cream, and salt in a blender.

Blend until frothy and combined.

Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the egg mixture into a loaf pan sprayed with grease.

Place the loaf pan into a casserole dish and fill the casserole dish with 1 inch of water.

Cover the loaf pan with foil, then place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, or until set.

In the meantime, make the lardons. Place the pork belly strips into a bowl and toss them with hot honey until well coated.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Add the pork belly and cook, stirring often, until crispy and deeply golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the skillet and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.

When the eggs are done, make the biscuits. Turn the oven up to 450 F.

Cube 4 tablespoons of butter and combine it with the flour and the cream cheese, using your fingers to incorporate.

Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk, using your hands to slowly incorporate the flour into the liquid until a wet dough forms.

Add the cheddar and chives and gently combine them into the biscuit dough.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll it to ½-inch thickness.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut 6 biscuits out of the dough, reshaping it gently as needed.

Place the biscuits in a cast iron skillet or round baking pan so that the sides of the biscuits are touching. Melt the last tablespoon of butter and brush it across the biscuits.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 16 minutes, or until the biscuits are risen and golden brown.

To build the sandwiches, slice the biscuits in half. Cut an egg patty to fit and place it on the biscuit.

Add the sliced cheese, then return to the oven to melt for 2 minutes.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and add the glazed pork belly pieces. Top with the top of the biscuit to serve.

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Lardons is a French culinary term that refers to short, thick, crispy strips of cured or uncured pork belly. Unlike the bacon we regularly eat for breakfast, which is sliced ⅛-inch thick or thinner, lardons are sliced to be around ¼-inch thick and about an inch long, making them more suitable for fillings and toppings. They also taste slightly different than bacon, though largely by mouthfeel: Lardons, being thicker, have a tender, chewy texture with a satisfying crunch on the outside. They elevate any dish that calls for bacon and are equally as easy to make if you have access to pork belly or slab bacon.

Lardons are not that different from bacon, and can be swapped with even thin-cut bacon in a pinch. If you don't have access to plain pork belly, you can instead buy the thickest cut of bacon you can find and slice it into ¼-inch long pieces. Toss with honey to candy the bacon, and cook the same way you would the pork belly. Because it is thinner and cured, you may even prefer using bacon here, especially if you like your bacon as salty and crispy as possible.

Baking eggs is a tricky task. If you've ever made quiche or souffle, you've likely seen what happens to an overcooked egg — it browns, dries out, and tastes a little off, losing all of the charm of fluffy, well-cooked eggs. We see this same effect in cheesecake, which relies on a water bath to cook the eggs in the filling properly. The reason for this is that the eggs, if cooked too quickly, coagulate, firm up, and dry out, leading to a grainy, cracked, and inedible dessert. To avoid cooking the eggs too quickly, they must be tempered — and the best way to do that while baking is to surround the eggs with water.

Water can only rise to a temperature of 212 degrees. The reason a water bath works for egg patties and cheesecakes is because of this: The water insulates the egg, cooking it at a steady 212 degrees, steaming it and slowly poaching it into a custard-like texture. This prevents any early coagulating, cracking, or dryness, leaving you with a silky egg. If you skip the water bath, the egg will still cook into an egg patty, but it will be more dense and omelette-like in texture.

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