Cross-Training Monday: The Egg and Cheese Sandwich

This is the first of a new Monday morning feature that will highlight drinking strategies, explore wellness, and share insights into how to offset the harmful effects of imbibing. And, this being Monday mornings, we'll be talking about hangover cures. Also: food, an important and too-often overlooked component of drinking well.  We're debuting with a guest spot from Stuart Krimko who co-hosted a verdita party with Embury recently. Here's Stuart with his notes on the sandwich that made all the difference:

"Preparing for a party must include an attempt at self-sustenance. You’ve got to keep yourself going, and you’ve got to give yourself a solid foundation for the inevitable one-too-many that can happen when the party’s in your own home.

And while it’s tempting to run to the store and take something out, it inevitably feels better to whip up something yourself. You’re preparing for a party after all, preparing to play the host––why not take a moment and play good host to the most important guest? What’s more, on the day before a party you probably have lots of ingredients lying around: tidbits that will make up h’ors d’oeuvres, garnishes for cocktails, that kind of thing. Perhaps not enough to put together something elaborate, but, combined with whatever else has been sitting in the refrigerator, enough for a compelling snack.

Such  was the case as Jason and I chased our tails around my kitchen table before our successful  Verdita/Birthday Bash. The cilantro and cheddar cheese I’d bought to compliment my milk-braised pork and fish tacos cried out for eggs, and the eggs reminded me, when I pulled them out of the cold, that I’d been keeping a loaf of bread in the freezer.

It was the middle of the afternoon and we were hungry. It was time for a sandwich.

First the frozen slices of bread went into the toaster. I only wanted to toast them half way, so that I would be able to melt the cheddar on them a few minutes later. Speaking of cheese, you want one thick slice and one thin slice. Why, I don’t know, it just worked out that way (unsteady hands) and it worked out well on the sandwich. While the knife was in hand I rough chopped some cilantro. Then it was time to fry the eggs. I like mine over medium. Right before flipping them I put the cheese on the bread in the toaster (remember, one thick slice and one thin slice on each slice of bread) and set them toasting the rest of the way.

The bread was toasted and the cheese melted just as the eggs were getting to the right doneness. Make a nice presentation, why not? I warmed two plates, put one slice of bread with melted cheese in the center of each, ground a little salt and pepper on the cheese, set the egg on top, ground a little more salt and pepper and garnished with the cilantro.

After we posed them for a photo op, we ate the sandwiches standing up, enjoying the brief pause in our preparations. As I pieced my experience of the party together the next morning, this emerged as one of its most distinct moments."

-Stuart Krimko

Comments

[Ashley Kamen]

When I realized this morning that seven hours of sleep wasn't quite enough to transition me from last night's festivities to the workday ahead, I asked Arlo to make me a Krimkowich. Because this was a post, rather than a pre-party creation, I felt it needed a few extras to aid in the damage control. Three slices of cheese (all thick for me), a little hot sauce, and a watercress garnish (Arlo's on a watercress kick lately.) Oh, and some cold sea grape jelly made by our neighbor Jolly. For presentation and in a nod to eating seasonally in South Florida, three strawberries garnished each plate. My sandwich was open faced. Arlo had his closed.
The best part was that somehow the sandwich changed our perception of the jelly. Suddenly the flavor reminded us both very specifically of swimming in Lake Luzerne, a cherished summertime tradition in my family. Very strange and lovely. Thanks for the inspiration.