The egg-based sandwich is highly controversial. “It’s one of those things people either love or hate,” said Daisy Ryan. In her first Slow Food Fast recipe, the Los Alamos, Calif.-based chef has a formula to woo the hateful and please the ardent fans.
The sandwich has been featured on the menu since the beginning at Bell’s Restaurant Ryan launched along with her husband, Greg Ryan, just over five years ago in the Central Coast region. “We get eggs from a nearby farm,” she explained. “They’re boiled so the yolks set but stay a little jammy.” A little olive oil and mayo help to hold it all together, while minced chives add a punch. In Bell’s, it’s served in toasty the pain de mie, a bread made of milk, but Brioche is also a good choice.
In the restaurant, Ryan makes her tomato jam. She substitutes an accessible version made from tomato paste for a homemade version. Spread it on toast and then return the bread slice to the oven and bake for a couple of minutes to allow the color and taste to develop. “People often ask us to hold the tomato jam, or have it on the side,” Ryan stated. “Our servers say, ‘If you don’t like it, we’ll send out a new one.’ To my knowledge, we’ve never had to.”
Egg Salad Sandwich With a Quick Tomato Jam
What could be a surprise? This one is so, thanks to the layer of tangy tomato jam.
Ingredients
- One tablespoon of salted butter and more for toast at room temperature
- Two tablespoons of olive oil plus additional oil as needed
- One shallot, finely cut
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- Salt Kosher
- Ten whole eggs
- Five tablespoons mayonnaise, plus more as needed
- Three tablespoons of chives, thinly sliced and cut into pieces
- 8 ( 1/2-inch-thick) slices pain de mie or Brioche
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. To a medium skillet, over medium-low temperature, Add one teaspoon of butter, one teaspoon of oil, and a tablespoon. Sauté shallots until they become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir to cook till it turns dark, 3 to 5 minutes. In the blender or food processor, blend until smooth. Sprinkle with salt.
- Make the egg salad: Make a medium-sized pot half-filled with salted water boiling over moderate-high temperature. Place eggs in the pool, making sure they’re completely submerged. Cook until the yolks are set and soft in the center, about eight and a half minutes. While the eggs cook, make an Ice bath. Transfer eggs cooked in boiling water to the ice bath. Peel eggs and cut them in half lengthwise.
- Mix mayonnaise, eggs, salt, and a pinch of 1 tablespoon of oil and chives in a medium bowl. Blend gently so that there are egg pieces that remain chunky. Add additional mayonnaise, oil, salt, or chives as required.
- Butter the bread on both sides. Bake bread on baking sheets until golden around the edges, approximately 2 minutes. Spread tomato jam on the bread, then return the bread to the oven, jam-side down. Toast until bread and jam darken but do not get burned, another 3-5 minutes.
- Egg salad on bread slices, then cover in jam. Layer on the remaining bread, pressing gently to spread the filling. Cut sandwiches in half and serve.