During a visit to Mel & John's about a year ago, I had the breakfast that made me like eggs. The breakfast that Mel built. Because of the deliciousness of this dish, I went from an egg-hater to an egg-lover, and now I can't get enough. The runnier the yoke the better. Now I poach, fry, scramble, boil, and bake with the best of them, and some of my favorite meals are centered around eggs. So what was this miracle dish that made me do a complete one-eighty!?
Mel calls them eggs nests. I call them absolutely amazing. During our recent weekend visit to the home of the 'rents, Amanda and I requested eggs nests for Sunday's brunch (please note, we provide Mel & John with a full menu of our meal requests during visits...because the food they cook SO damned good we dream about it). Mel first infuses olive oil with (home-grown) peppers and garlic, and brushes this peppery goodness all over hollowed out sourdough bread-bowls, then bakes them until golden and crispy. Into the bowl she piles fresh cooked crumbled bacon and spinach (we've had it with both fresh and steamed), and tops with two poached eggs, gathered that morning. The nest is then sprinkled with salt, pepper, and a generous amount of fresh grated Parmesan. The entire nest, from bacon to parm, is a bowl of wonderful goodness.
It could be because Mel finally forced me to try an egg after so many years of refusal, or it could be that this dish is really that good. Either way, I recommend trying this brunch for yourself... it could change your life.
