Brie Cheese Dill Potato Eggs with Gravlax, Grilled Tomato and Bermuda Onion

A nice elegant modern breakfast!

     

     "Gosh!  Why can't we get a breakfast like this in our town?  Why do we have to go to Las Vegas to get something good to eat in the morning?" 

     Las Vegas takes pride in serving some very advanced breakfast food twenty four hours a day.  People who visit Las Vegas come from every time zone that there is.  Just like the old "Viva Las Vegas" Elvis Presley song says, "I wish there was more than twenty four hours in a day!"  Of course, not every restaurant in Las Vegas serves breakfast all day, but there are plenty that do.

     The modern classy Las Vegas casinos always have great breakfast menus in the mornings.  Especially at the fine buffets.  Many of the finer casinos offer traditional and creative egg entrees that are baked in silicone baking molds.  The sauces and presentations of these modern baked egg entrees are superbly crafted.  I was never trained on using the "eggs baked in a mold" technique during my career, so I had to figure the technique out myself.  What I learned is that if the eggs in the mold are baked without a bain marie, then you risk having dried out eggs or wrinkly looking eggs.  When the eggs are baked in a mold that is placed in a covered bain marie, then you will have moist perfect looking baked eggs.

     Today's baked egg recipe turned out nice!  I made gravlax a few days ago.  Gravlax and smoked salmon are traditional breakfast items in Las Vegas.  As you have seen in my blog, I do prefer the health benefits of fish over bacon in the morning.  I suppose that my craving for fish at breakfast time does come from my east coast fishing village cooking heritage.

     There are a few herbs that go well with eggs.  Basil, parsley, saffron, turmeric, oregano and dill all are nice with eggs.  Fresh dill weed adds a very nice flavor for eggs and potatoes.  The dill and diced potatoes are baked in the mold with the scrambled eggs.  
     Brie cheese is a very nice mild  cheese and it is perfect with dill flavored eggs.  Brie is a double cream soft cheese that has an edible rind. 
     Sushi quality fish goes through a deep freeze process to kill parasites and pathogens.  Sushi quality salmon is a good choice, but good healthy smelling fresh salmon can be used to make gravlax.  The heavy salt curing process will kill nearly any pathogen or parasite.

  

     Gravlax:

     Select a very fresh whole salmon at a fish market.

     Cut a whole salmon filet from gill to tail.  Traditionally the skin is left on the salmon.  You can remove the skin if you wish to, but shrinkage is more likely to occur.

     Use thin pliers to remove all of the pin bones from the salmon filet.

     If the salmon filet is very large, then you can cut it in half or trim off a couple of filet portions for another recipe.

     Place a long piece of plastic wrap in a flat long plastic tub or a plastic storage container.

     Place a very generous amount of fresh dill weed sprigs on the plastic wrap as a bed for the salmon to lay on.

     Mix 2 parts sugar and 1 part coarse Kosher salt together in a bowl.  (It might take 1-2 cups of the sugar and salt mixture to cure a whole gravlax filet.)

     Sprinkle some coarsely ground black pepper on the salmon filet.

     Generously coat the salmon with the sugar and salt mixture.  The salmon should look like it was heavily dredged in sugar.

     Place the salted filet on the bed of fresh dill weed on the plastic wrap in the plastic storage container.

     Cover the sides and the top of the salmon filet with a generous amount of fresh dill weed sprigs.

     Cover the salmon with the plastic wrap.

     Place a second plastic storage container on top of the salmon filet, inside of the first plastic storage container.

     Place a few potatoes or onions in the storage container that is sitting on top of the salmon.  The potatoes or onions willact as a weight to press the salmon.

     Refrigerate the salmon for 3 days.

     Flip the salmon over once every 12 hours.

     Do not discard the salty brine liquid from the container when flipping the salmon!  The brine is what actually cures the salmon.

     After 3 days in the refrigerator, the gravlax is ready!  The gravlax will be completely cured by the sugar and salt.

     Remove the gravlax from the plastic container.

     Remove the plastic wrap.

     Scrape off the dill sprigs and discard them.

     Slice the gravlax at a 45º angle and turn the knife parallel with the fish skin when the blade reaches the skin, then slide the knife against the skin to cut a perfect thin slice of gravlax. 

     A 4 ounce to 6 ounce portion per plate is plenty.  

     

     Dill Potato Eggs:  

     Boil 1/4 cup of diced russet potato in water over high heat, till the potatoes are cooked al dente.  (Do not cook the potatoes till they become mushy!  Dice = 1/4"x1/4"x1/4") 
     Drain the water off of the al dente diced potatoes.
     Let the potatoes cool to room temperature.  

     Whisk two eggs in a mixing bowl.  

     Add 1/2 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill weed.  

     Add 1 pinch of sea salt and black pepper.  

     Add 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice.  (The tiny amount of lemon juice will keep the eggs from turning a gray color when baking.  The lemon juice is not used for flavor in this recipe.)  

     Stir the ingredients together.  

     Heat a non-stick saute pan over medium low heat.  

     Add 1 pat of unsalted butter.  

     Add half of the egg mixture.  

     Immediately add the diced boiled potatoes..  

     Quickly stir the eggs together with the potatoes, so the potatoes are coated with loosely scrambled eggs.  Only cook the eggs so they are still loose and runny. 

     Place the half cooked potato and egg mixture back into the mixing bowl with the raw eggs.  

     Stir the ingredients together.  (This method will keep the potatoes from sinking to the bottom of the baking mold.)  

     Brush a creme caramel custard cup shaped silicone baking mold lightly with melted unsalted butter.  

     Place the baking mold on a roasting pan.  

     Pour the egg mixture into the silicone custard cup baking mold.  

     Add enough water to the roasting pan so the water comes one third of the way up the outside of the baking mold.  (This way of roasting is called baking in a bain marie.) 
     Place a buttered piece of parchment paper on the eggs.  

     Bake the eggs in a 325º oven, till they become firm and till they become fully cooked.  

     While the eggs are baking, the rest of the ingredients can be prepared.  

     

     Toast Crouton:  

     Use a steel ring mold to cut a round shaped slice of whole grain bread that is the same diameter as the silicon custard mold.  

     Bake the round bread slice in the oven, till it becomes toasted.

     Keep the toast warm on a stove top.  

     

     Grilled Tomato and Bermuda Onion Slices:

     Heat a non stick saute pan over medium low heat.  

     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.  

     Add 3 thick plum tomato slices.

     Add one 1/4" thick bermuda onion slice.  

     Season with sea salt and black pepper.  

     Flip the tomato slices and onion slice only once!  

     Lightly grill the tomato slices and onion slice on both sides.  

     Set the pan on the stove top and keep the pan warm.  

     

     Brie Cheese Dill Potato Eggs with Gravlax, Grilled Tomato and Bermuda Onion:

     When the eggs become fully cooked, remove them from the oven.   

     Place the round toasted whole grain wheat bread crouton on the center of a plate.  

     Flip the silicon mold with the eggs onto the crouton and remove the silicone baking mold.  

     Overlap 2 thin small wedges of brie cheese on top of the eggs.  

     Place the plate under a broiler to soften and warm the brie cheese.  (This only takes less than 30 seconds.  Do not brown the cheese or eggs!)  

     Remove the plate from the broiler when the cheese becomes soft.  

     Place the grilled bermuda onion slice and the 3 grilled Roma tomato slices halfway around the eggs on the plate.

     Place a portion of thin slices of gravlax on the plate so they are fanned outward from the eggs.  

     Insert a fresh dill weed sprig through the softened brie cheese into the eggs as a garnish.  

     

     Delicious and pretty!  This is a healthy breakfast entree.  The light flavor of dill is perfect with the baked potato and eggs.  The softened brie cheese adds a nice mellow warm mild cheese flavor that is perfect with dill.  The gravlax is the perfect accompaniment for dill and potato eggs.  This is a tasteful modern Las Vegas style breakfast!  Yum!  ...  Shawna