Bacon-Cheddar-Chive Corn Cakes with Poached Egg

One thing all Americans can agree on is the love we all feel for our beds, especially at the end of a long week. It’s all we can do to drag ourselves out of them to get on with our day.

Sometimes we get that elusive treat of being able to stay in bed as long as we want but then hunger calls. That’s the time to get your breakfast-in-bed on and make these luscious, savory corn cakes.

INGREDIENTS:
• 3/4 cup corn meal
• 1-1/4 cup buttermilk (or 1-1/4 cup milk less 1 tbsp milk, add 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar & let stand 5-10 minutes before using)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup bacon, cooked & crumbled
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, minced
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tbsp white vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1) Add 1 cup boiling water to corn meal. Stir and let sit 5 minutes.
2) Mix in buttermilk. Whisk in 2 eggs. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tsp salt, pepper & stir.
3) Melt 4 tbsp butter and stir in. Mix in bacon, chives, and cheese.
4) Over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp butter on griddle. Pour on about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. When you see pin bubbles, flip for about 20 seconds and remove from heat.
5) If you like, use a biscuit cutter to make an even stack. Plate and keep warm.
6) To poach eggs, boil about 1/2 inch water in a pan. Bring to a boil and add remaining salt and vinegar. Bring heat down to simmer and slip eggs into the water. Use a spoon to keep the egg whites around each egg, and to keep them  separated from each other and off the bottom of the pan. Let cook for 3 minutes and remove.
7) Add remaining butter to the pancakes and top with egg. Season with salt & pepper as you like and enjoy!

The idea for these pancakes just popped into my head and I could just imagine how good they’d be – and I was right! The texture of the corn cake with the crunchy bacon, cheddar flavor with a little bite of chives… the velvety egg topping the stack… ohhhh yeah!

Take this basic recipe and make it your own – switch cheeses, use crumbled breakfast sausage instead of bacon… add maple syrup to get a savory/sweet vibe going.

Breakfast in bed has just gotten cozier!

Annette