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My Bodega-Style Egg-and-Cheese

Source of Recipe

From "Smitten Kitchen Keepers" by Deb Perelman


Recipe Introduction

"Most New Yorkers have strong opinions on the classic bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich (BEC), and mine (since I'm a person who is constitutionally incapable of multitasking) is a mix of awe for the griddle cooks who make half a dozen egg sandwiches with special requests all at once like it's nothing; and gratitude for the bodegas that let me buy a warm breakfast sandwich, pet the cat-in-residence, and grab dish soap at the same time. My order is always an egg-and-cheese on rye toast, and truly one of the most blessed things about New York City is that rye bread is considered a standard bread option. My only quibble with these sandwiches is that often the cheese isn't melted enough, either because it was not engineered with melting in mind (ghastly) or it was added as an afterthought. At home, however, my technique fixes this problem by pocketing the cheese in the center. If you're appalled by my choice of individually-wrapped cheese, you can of course use any cheese that makes you happy, be it crumbled, grated, or sliced; you can add minced scallions, chives, or crumbled bacon, too; but I think cheese engineered with melting in mind deserves more credit. The awesome thing about this sandwich is that it's so easy, it requires no planning, and you can be eating these in approximately three minutes, which is exactly what I want to hear at 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday. This makes one single-egg sandwich, but you can also make it with two eggs and just cook it slightly longer."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 large egg
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 2 teaspoons butter or oil
â—¦ 1 slice cheese, or a small pile of grated or crumbled cheese
â—¦ Spoonful of sliced scallions, chives, crumbled bacon, or whatever else you want in your eggs
â—¦ 1 English muffin or roll, or 2 slices bread of your choice, toasted


Recipe

Heat a medium-sized skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Beat one egg with ½ teaspoon of water, a couple pinches of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper until just blended.

Melt the butter in your pan or brush it with oil, to coat it thinly. Pour in the egg, and roll it around so it coats the pan, as a thin crepe would. Immediately place your cheese and optional other fillings in the middle. Cook for 30 to 45 seconds, or until the egg is lightly set but not browned underneath.

Fold the part of the egg closest to you over the cheese, as if you were folding the first section of a business letter. Repeat this on the three remaining 'sides,' forming a small square, or you can aim for more of a rectangle if that's the shape of your bread. Leave the folded egg-and-cheese in the center of the skillet to cook for another 30 seconds, then slide it onto your muffin or one slice of toast. Top the sandwich with the other piece of toast, if using, cut in half, and eat immediately. Notice a couple sets of eyes gazing at you, perhaps wondering where their sandwiches might be. Repeat a couple more times and not even mind, because it's so easy.

Makes 1 sandwich