Lekker: Bacon and scrambled egg croissants, nice and cheesy. (Photo: Tony Jackman)
Croissants are synonymous with breakfast, even if they are most often part of a continental petit déjeuner, along with viennoiserie, tartines, fruit and of course, coffee.
But a croissant, toasted and as warm as a baby’s hug, can be the base of a hot breakfast too.
You may have noticed by now that I’m a big fan of scrambled eggs with grated cheese melted into it. I decided to make that, as well as rashers of back bacon just the way I like it — crispy but not so far gone that it crackles and breaks into shards — and of course the requisite café.
A standard toaster is not ideal for toasting a croissant, even when it has been cut into two halves. But today many of us own an air fryer, and I now know that this is the best solution for toasting a croissant, or hot dog rolls, for that matter. You pop them in at 200°C or even 180°C, then wait a couple of minutes and open the drawer. They may be perfect already; if not, put them back for another minute. It’s so easy.
Let’s not be stingy about quantities here. There’s no reason why you and I don’t deserve a three-egg pile of scrambled eggs, and anything less than four rashers of bacon is miserly, given that you need two rashers per croissant half.
Tony’s bacon and cheesy scrambled egg croissants
(Per 2 servings)
Ingredients
2 croissants
Butter for buttering them
8 rashers back bacon (streaky is okay too)
6 jumbo eggs, beaten
4 Tbsp butter (yes, the more butter, the better the scrambled eggs)
100 g everyday cheese, grated
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Toast the croissants whole until lightly crispy, but don’t take them too far.
Remove, put on two plates, and slice through their middles with a bread knife, carefully so that they don’t crumble overly. Butter the insides while still hot.
Meanwhile, fry the bacon the way you like it, and reserve. Grate the cheese.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and season with salt and black pepper.
Melt the butter in a pan on a medium heat and, when foaming, add all the beaten egg at once. Immediately start moving it around with a flat-edged wooden or silicone spatula.
I believe in stopping the cooking of scrambled eggs while they’re still a bit runny and moist. Add the grated cheese, and stir quickly to melt and incorporate.
Place two rashers of bacon on each of the four croissant halves, and share the cheesy scrambled eggs evenly between the four halves. Garnish with any herb of your choice.
Bon appétit. DM
Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the year award, in 2021 and 2023
Order Tony’s book, foodSTUFF, here.
Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.
This dish is photographed on a plate by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.