Tomatoes, Eggs and Sweet Habaneros

I can’t stop eating tomatoes.

Really. I can’t. Maybe you’ve figured that out since they’ve been featured in my last three posts. But this time of year, tomatoes taste like tomatoes. A tangy punch, a juicy crunch, and an aroma that is just as sweet as a peach.

So now I’m having tomatoes for breakfast, and I’m topping them with farm eggs and sweet habaneros. Yes, they are habaneros. And yes, they are sweet. Seriously! They smell spicy, but you can bite into one like an apple. If you live in the Bay Area, get them at the farmers’ market from Quetzal Farms. Last year I chopped them up and set them in the sun with some course salt for an incredible spice that adds intensity to any dish. I also picked up some fresh sourdough from Phoenix Pastifico and toasted it under the tomatoes, so it would soak up all of the delicious juice. Such an easy breakfast for a lazy Saturday.

Though my routine is now slightly changing. I’ve become accustomed to waking up early on Saturday, going to spin class, and arriving at the market right when they open. But now I have to subtract spin class, because I quit the gym. It was time. Pretty soon (hopefully) the restaurant will open and I won’t have time anyway. But for now, there are many other ways I should be spending the money I pay in monthly dues. Oh well. Maybe I’ll train for something, like a half marathon or triathlon or something equally as scary. Anything to keep me motivated and active.

But anyway, on to the restaurant, because I have some exciting updates. We made a kickstarter video! Kickstarter is this great site that helps people raise funds for creative projects. We have already raised 24% of our funding goal. Check out our video, but don’t laugh too hard. We obviously have no idea how to take good video:

And, we’ll be cooking mac and cheese at the Eat Real Festival in Jack London Square on August 28-29. This just may be the biggest Bay Area food event of the year. They’re expecting over 100,000 people! And we’re expecting to serve 1800 portions of mac and cheese, which means about 180 pounds of cheese and 160 pounds of mac. Not to mention roux, hot dogs and potato chips for our trailer mac, and pounds of marash pepper for our spicy mac. Craziness.

Anyway, try out tomatoes for breakfast while they’re still in season, but not on the morning of Eat Real. You’ll need a completely empty stomach to try a taste from each of the 60 local food vendors.

Tomatoes, Eggs and Sweet Habaneros

4 organic eggs
2 fresh tomatoes, thickly sliced
2 slices of bacon, chopped
1/3 cup of sharp cheddar, grated
2 sweet habanero peppers
A few thick slices of sourdough
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Lightly toast sourdough slices under the broiler, and remove from the oven. Top bread with grated cheese, sliced tomatoes and chopped bacon, and place under the broiler again (toward the middle of your oven). Cook until bacon gets crispy, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate the habaneros using a microplane.

When bacon is cooked, remove from the oven. Heat up a drizzle of olive oil in a cast iron skillet. When hot, crack eggs into the pan and top with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until whites have set. Slide eggs on top of tomatoes, and broil again for about 30 seconds. Top with grated peppers and serve.

Where I Shopped:

Organic Eggs: Temescal Farmers’ Market, Oakland
Tomatoes, sweet habanero peppers, sourdough: Berkeley Farmers’ Market
House-made bacon, Flagship cheddar: Star Meats, Berkeley

Tagged as: breakfast