Happy Birthday Harley - The Perfect Bacon Egg and Cheese Sandwich

Photo: Credit: Warner Bros.

Margot Robbie gets a lot of deserved praise for her portrayal of Barbie in last year's blockbuster movie. But for me, she will always be Harley Quinn, the former psychologist turned Batman villain from the movie "Suicide Squad". Robbie was that film's highlight and breakout star, earning her a spinoff, "Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)". At one point in this film, Robbie's character hopes to lift her spirits by getting her favorite breakfast sandwich from her local bodega. While you may not find yourself on a wild adventure after eating one, most New Yorkers (where the sandwich originated and was perfected) would tell you it's the best way to start your day. In honour of Mrs. Robbie's birthday, here is the recipe for this cinematic culinary delight.

Ingredients

3 slices of bacon
2 eggs (if you're allergic to chicken eggs as Robbie is, duck eggs can be used)
2 process cheese slices
1 sandwich roll (plain, kaiser, potato, poppy seed - whatever you prefer)
melted butter
hot sauce
kosher salt

1. Cook the bacon over medium heat in a skillet until it's crispy. Drain the excess fat into a clean container (save it for future use) and dry the cooked bacon on a paper towel-lined plate. 
2. While the bacon cooks, slice the roll in half lengthwise along the side, and set it aside. Heat another skillet over medium heat. Brush some melted butter on the cut side of the roll and place it face-down on the skillet after it gets hot. Press down on the roll with either a grill press or something heavy like another skillet. Toast the roll for about two minutes before transferring it to a cutting board.
3. Brush one of the skillets with melted butter and crack the eggs as close together as possible. Season with kosher salt. Flip the eggs when the whites are almost entirely set, then top with the cheese slices.
4. Place the bacon on one of the halves of the roll.  When the edges of the cheese melt, place the egg and cheese on top of the bacon.
5. Add two dashes of hot sauce to the top of the sandwich. Finish the sandwich with the other half of the bun and slice it in half before serving.

The Need To Know Classic That Is: Cacio e Pepe

When people go to Italy, the dish that usually gets the most raves is one of the easiest dishes there is to make. Cacio e pepe, literally cheese and pepper, has been pleasing people since the days of ancient Rome. To get them through a hard day's work, shepherds would bring dried pasta, some hard, salty sheep's milk cheese, and black pepper with them in order to make a filling meal. While not traditional to cacio e pepe, bacon or seafood may be added, and other shapes of pasta may be used. However you serve it, it's simple but sophisticated comfort food at its best. Consider this the dish you deserve for surviving this year of the pandemic in the year Two Thousand and Twenty.  

Ingredients

450 g pasta (spaghetti, tonnarelli traditionally)
225 g pecorino Romano, very finely grated
7 g pepper (coarsely ground)
salt
extra-virgin olive oil

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil. When the water is at a hard boil, add the pasta, then turn off the heat. Place a lid on the pot and remove it from the burner - in 15 minutes you should have perfect al dente pasta. Save at least two cups of the pasta water after draining the pasta.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large pan over medium heat with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the pepper, and let it cook for about 20 seconds. Pour 175 mL into the pan and let it boil.
3. Add the drained pasta to the hot pan. Using tongs, toss the pasta to coat it in the peppery liquid, then sprinkle in about 80% of the cheese. Keep tossing the pasta, adding more pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce that sticks to the pasta, tasting and adding salt as needed.
4. Once done, finish with the remaining cheese and more pepper. Serve immediately.

Carpe Diem Eating: The Travis Scott Meal

During a recent visit to the drive-through at McDonald's, I asked my son if he wanted his usual order of a cheeseburger, medium fries, and a medium cola. Instead, he asked for a Travis Scott meal. I assumed he meant that he wanted to hear Travis Scott on the radio, and ordered what he usually eats. While he did eat his lunch, my son was annoyed that it wasn't what he asked for and bemoaned that his father wasn't as knowledgeable and cool as his 9-year-old self. I knew that the restaurant still associated with a clown as its mascot, rebranding be damned, didn't name their sandwiches after people like a New York deli would. Until that moment, I only knew Travis Scott as the rapper who lip-synced his hit "Sicko Mode" during an awful Superbowl halftime show. But Kylie Jenner's baby daddy is also a big deal in the fast-food world. Last month, Scott teamed with McDonald's to market the way he levels up his order of the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and the Cactus Jack meal was born for a limited time offer. What does this combo have to do with Mick Foley's hardcore wrestling persona? Who the hell knows, but it apparently led to some McDonald's locations running out of ingredients for this meal. This promotion somehow slipped under my radar, but it's still possible to have this celebrity-endorsed meal if you want to appear with it even when it sounds strange and weird. Who knows, maybe it can be a secret menu item if enough people ask for it.

THE TRAVIS SCOTT / CACTUS JACK MEAL

• Order a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and ask for it to be topped with bacon and lettuce (I forgot that you can add toppings to hamburgers now).
• Ask for BBQ sauce for your French fries instead of ketchup (Travis likes the tanginess).
• To properly wash down a meal of this magnitude, order a Sprite with extra ice. 
• Bonus cool points if you substitute the Sprite for "Blueberry Faygo", the title of Scott contemporary Lil Mosey's biggest hit. As you can't get Faygo of any flavour at McDonald's, head to the nearest Dollar King in your area for a bottle.

Superbowl Charcuterie

As the big game approaches, people are in the midsts of planning their menus for their Superbowl party. While chicken wings and chili are always crowd pleasers, this year you may want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time in front of the big screen TV. If this describes you, consider making a meat and cheese board, also known as a charcuterie (pronounced shahr-koo-tuh–ree) board. Easy to prepare, it contains a great mix of tastes that come together by following these steps:

• Before you buy the food, you'll need something to serve it on. It's customary to put the spread on either a wooden or marble cutting board, so if you don't have either of those, add one to your shopping list. It makes a world of difference in terms of presentation.
• When picking your meat and cheeses, aim to get three to four different kinds of each. Go for a variety of hard and soft cheeses, ranging from mellow to sharp in flavour.  Goat cheese, cheddar, gouda, Brie, and blue cheese are good suggestions. Cheese is best served at room temperature, so cut the cheese (HA!) at least one hour before serving. 
• When it comes to serving size, make sure the pieces are bite-sized - don't worry about making each piece the same size, no one is going to notice. As for the meats, include a similar variety of flavours and textures, such as prosciutto, chorizo sausage, and salumi; consider also adding some pâté to the mix. As with the cheeses, bite-sized portions are preferred. 
• Your guests should have at least one taste of each cheese and meat, so try for 150 to 200 grams of each option per guest.
• Supplement your charcuterie board with some bread and crackers. You don't want anything that outshines the flavours of the cheeses and meats, so go with a simple sliced French baguette and a box of Ritz; if there's a gluten-free option available, feel free to include it. Round everything out with some fresh fruit, and small bowls filled with salted nuts, dill pickles, olives, jellies, mustards, and dips.

With the food now out of the way, you can enjoy watching the Rams make up for their Superbowl XXXVI loss to the Patriots. That's what I'm hoping for anyways...

Beer and cheese pairing guide

Ever wonder what cheese would go well with your favorite beer? Wonder no more with the handy guide created by the good people at RedEnvelope.