Breakfast Sandwich with Tomato Jam

5 from 4 votes

Breakfast Sandwich with Tomato Jam

If I had to choose the perfect way to start my morning on the weekend it would be this: toasted or warmed croissants slathered with some homemade tomato jam, some creamy avocados, soft scrambled eggs and some crispy crumbled bacon. Breakfast Sandwiches ARE my definition of the perfect morning and now it's a possibility for all of us to make at home!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

4 croissants split and toasted
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
8 slices bacon cooked
2 avocados smashed with 2 teaspoons lemon juice, salt and pepper
½ tomato jam recipe below
soft scrambled eggs recipe below
Fresh chives and basil and / or arugula
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Quick Tomato Jam

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Soft Scrambled

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 large eggs
¼ cup whole milk
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
¾ cup shredded fontina

Instructions

For the Soft Scrambled Eggs

In a large bowl, crack the eggs and whisk together with the milk and a pinch of salt. In a large non-stick skillet, add the butter over medium low heat. Once it’s just melted, carefully pour the eggs into the pan. Using a silicone spatula , slowly drag it along the bottom of the pan allowing the eggs to cook slowly and evenly. Add the fontina while the eggs are still a bit runny and continue to slowly cook until the eggs are just tender, season with additional salt and pepper. Remember the eggs will continue to cook once removed from the heat, so it’s ok to pull the eggs off the heat slightly underdone

For the Tomato Jam

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, add the tomatoes and toss around to coat in the oil. Once the tomatoes start to burst and char, drop the heat to medium and add in the garlic, pepper flake and begin to smash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Add the vinegar, brown sugar and continue to cook until jammy 5-10 minutes, finish with the butter. Remove from the heat and let cool. This will keep in the fridge for about a week. Try it as a condiment on a cheeseboard or serve over fresh burrata

Assemble:

Slather the toasted croissants with the mayonnaise. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the tomato jam on the inside of the top croissant and ¼ of the smashed avocado on the bottom followed by the soft scrambled eggs and bacon. Toss on the fresh herbs, arugula and extra fontina if you like. Close the sandwich and serve, preferable with a mimosa or bloody Mary.

Notes

Make the tomato jam up to a week in advance. The jam actually improves as it sits in the fridge because the flavors meld and deepen overnight. Getting this done ahead of time means you only need 30 minutes of active prep the morning of brunch.
Cook your scrambled eggs low and slow over medium-low heat. High heat causes eggs to seize and weep liquid, resulting in rubbery curds. Keeping the heat low and dragging a silicone spatula slowly across the pan creates large, creamy, custardy curds that hold their texture in the sandwich.
Pull the scrambled eggs off the heat while they still look slightly underdone. Carryover cooking continues inside the pan even after the heat is off. If the eggs look perfectly done on the stove, they will be overcooked and dry by the time they hit the croissant.
Add the fontina to the eggs while they are still slightly runny. Adding cheese too early causes it to melt into the pan rather than into the eggs. Waiting until the eggs are nearly set ensures the cheese melts evenly into the curds without making them greasy.
Toast your croissants cut-side down in a dry skillet rather than under the broiler. A skillet gives you direct contact heat, which creates an even, golden crust without drying out the interior layers of the croissant. The broiler can scorch the edges before the cut surface browns evenly.
Smash the avocado with lemon juice immediately after cutting. The citric acid in lemon juice slows the oxidation that turns avocado brown. Mixing it in right away coats every surface of the avocado so it stays vibrant green until you are ready to build the sandwiches.
Let the tomatoes burst and char before adding the garlic. Charring the tomatoes first concentrates their natural sugars and adds a subtle smokiness to the jam. Adding garlic too early causes it to burn before the tomatoes have had time to break down properly.
Spread mayonnaise on the bottom croissant before the avocado. The mayo acts as a moisture barrier that prevents the toasted croissant from getting soggy once the avocado and eggs are layered on top. It also adds richness that ties the creamy elements together.
Put the tomato jam on the top half of the croissant, not the bottom. Placing the jam on the top keeps it separated from the avocado layer, which means every bite gets a distinct pop of sweet and tangy jam rather than having it all smear together before you take a bite.
Cook your bacon until genuinely crispy, not just cooked through. Soft bacon turns chewy and greasy once it sits inside a warm sandwich. Crispy bacon holds its texture against the moisture from the eggs and avocado and provides a necessary textural contrast.
Add arugula and fresh herbs right before serving, never before. Arugula wilts quickly from the residual heat of the eggs and bacon. Adding the greens at the last second keeps them fresh, peppery, and structurally present in every bite.

Nutrition