Monstrous Breakfast Tower Recipe

You need to really go for it when it comes to a breakfast sandwich. If this is the thing that’s going to get you out of bed, it needs to be the kind of big, messy monstrosity that doesn’t just feed you, it gets you. For Ben Daiken, the executive chef at Toronto’s Parts and Labour, it also needs to incorporate all elements of breakfast, from the coffee to the eggs and bacon. See below for his all-encompassing coffee and cream bagel sandwich recipe that looks like it leapt from the pages of Denny’s fan fiction.

Servings: 1
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 white onions, thinly sliced
kosher salt, to taste
1 Dempster’s© coffee & cream bagel, halved
4 - 6 pieces thinly sliced pancetta
⅓ cup maple syrup
½ cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1 large egg
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 bunch chives, thinly sliced

1. Make the caramelized onions: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onions are dark, about 40 minutes.

2. Prepare the bagel: Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat until nutty in smell, about 3 minutes. Add the bagel, sliced side down, and cook until golden, about 3 minutes.

3. Make the maple glazed pancetta: In a medium cast-iron skillet over medium heat, cook the pancetta until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the maple syrup. Butter should foam and combine with maple syrup and rendered fat from pancetta to create a rich glaze. Using a spoon, baste the pancetta until thick with glaze. Remove from heat.

4. Assemble the bagel: Heat oven to 375°F. Place the bagel, toasted side-up, on a baking sheet. Top with caramelized onions and, in layers, add your maple glazed pancetta (reserve remaining glaze in pan), shredded cheddar cheese, pancetta, and finish with remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Cook the egg: While the bagel is in the oven, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add egg when butter is foaming, and season with salt and pepper. Cook egg sunny side up to desired texture.

6. Finish the bagel: Remove bagel from oven and top with your finished egg. Transfer bagel to plate. Reheat reserved glaze from pancetta until warm and syrupy. Liberally spoon glaze over egg until entire sandwich is thoroughly covered. Finish with chopped chives and close your bagel with bagel top, making sure to break yolk in process.