English breakfast deviled eggs, more: 3 Easter brunch dishes from Top Chef Sara Bradley
Sara Bradley learned to cook from her mother and grandmother, whose Appalachian and Jewish heritage heavily influenced her food philosophy. Those influences, as well as that of her home state of Kentucky, shine in the three perfect-for-brunch dishes below.
Bradley is an industry veteran who has worked for Michelin-starred chefs in New York and Chicago before returning home to Western Kentucky to open Freight House in Paducah, Kentucky, in 2015.
She was also a participant in the James Beard Foundation’s Bootcamp for Policy and Change, a featured chef at the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America Louisville event in 2019 and runner-up on "Top Chef: Season 16."
Now Bradley is competing in "Top Chef Season 20: World All-Stars," which airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. central on the Bravo network.
Freight House's menu highlights traditional Southern flavors, ingredients and techniques inspired by international flavors. In keeping with its Kentucky environs, it also boasts an extensive bourbon collection, which helps feed an innovative craft cocktail menu.
These dishes, courtesy of Bradley, are inspired by both her restaurant and her time on Top Chef Season 20: World All-Stars.
The menu
Everything Salad: This dish, with “everything rice” spice, capers, grapes and a dill cream cheese dressing, also nods to episode 2.
Full English Deviled Eggs: This easy breakfast dish or appetizer incorporates classic full English breakfast flavors in a nod to the season’s London shoot location.
TC Cheese and Crackers: This "whooped" goat cheese with pepper jelly and apple salad, served with Ritz cracker, highlights the challenge from episode 2.
Everything Salad
Yield: 10-12 servings
Total Time: 45 minutes
Hands on time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
1 head iceberg lettuce, sliced thin
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 cup green grapes, quartered
6 radishes, sliced thin
¼ cup capers, rough chopped
⅓ cup pickled red onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cream cheese dill dressing (recipe follows; you may need more dressing depending on the size of your lettuce)
1 cup everything puffed rice (recipe follows)
Cream Cheese Dressing
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh dill fronds, chopped
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
Everything seasoning
½ tablespoon dried, chopped garlic
½ tablespoon dried, chopped onion
½ tablespoon black sesame seeds
½ tablespoon white sesame seeds
½ tablespoon celery seed
½ tablespoon poppy seed
½ cup bagel chips, crushed
Puffed Rice
1 cup vegetable oil
¼ cup long-grain rice
Instructions
For the cream cheese dressing: In a food processor, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add all other ingredients and process until smooth, chill until ready to use.
For the everything seasoning: Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
For the puffed rice: Start by preparing a pan lined with paper towels. Have a separate container to pour hot oil into and have a small strainer ready.
Heat oil to 425ºF. Add your dry, uncooked rice and stir. Let cook for 10-20 seconds or until you see it puff. Do not burn!
Pour the rice and oil through the strainer, allowing it to collect in the extra vessel. Drain rice on paper towels. Mix with everything spice when cool.
To assemble: Mix all salad ingredients together except the puffed rice, which gets sprinkled on top as the final step.
Full English Deviled Eggs
These deviled eggs are a nod to the ingredients served with a traditional full English breakfast.
Yield: 1 dozen deviled eggs (24 halves)
Total time: 16 hours (includes overnight soak)
Hands on time: 3 hours
Ingredients
For the Sorghum Baked Beans
½ pound navy beans (must soak overnight)
1⁄2 cup dark brown sugar
1 each small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup sorghum
1⁄4 pound bacon, chopped small
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons salt
For the Sundried Tomato Egg Filling:
3 each sundried tomatoes in oil
3 each raw egg yolks (in addition to the dozen hard-boiled)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1½ cup vegetable oil
12 cooked egg yolks, crumbled
For the sausage crumble:
4 ounces breakfast sausage (uncooked)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp vegetable oil (only need if sausage doesn’t provide enough fat)
Instructions
For the beans: Rinse beans and soak overnight in 3 times the amount of water.
Put beans in medium-sized sauce pot and cover with water by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, adding more water when necessary, until beans are tender, 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours. Drain, reserving water.
Preheat oven to 275°. Layer beans, sugar, onions, sorghum and bacon, ending with a top layer of beans, in a glass baking dish. Stir in soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and reserved bean water. Add bean water Bake covered for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Adjust seasoning and chill. Note: this makes more beans than you need, but it is hard to cook in a smaller amount.
For the sundried tomato egg filling: Hard boil and peel a dozen eggs — this can be done in advance. Separate the whites from the yellows.
In a food processor, add the tomatoes, raw yolks, vinegar and salt. Process for 20-30 seconds or until smooth.
Slowly add the vegetable oil in a thin stream while the processor is running. If it gets too thick, add 1-2 teaspoons of water at a time. It should be creamy like mayonnaise when completed. (You can also use store-bought aioli and just whip the pureed tomatoes into it.)
Add the cooked egg yolks and process until smooth. Adjust seasoning. Store in a piping bag until ready to use. It is best to chill before serving.
For the sausage crumble: Crumble and cook the sausage in a sauté pan. Once fully rendered, add the panko (and possibly extra oil) and cook until toasted.
To assemble: Fill cut deviled eggs about ½ the way full with baked beans. Top with tomato filling.
Sprinkle sausage crumble over the top. (If transporting, it is best to assemble when you get there)
'Whooped' goat cheese with pepper jelly and apple salad
Bradley recommends wearing gloves when working with spicy peppers.
This recipe yields more pepper jelly than needed but will stay good in the fridge for months.
Yield: 10-12 servings
Total Time: 45 minutes
Hands on time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
For the goat cheese:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
11 ounces goat cheese, softened (usually 1 log)
¼ cup cold heavy cream
For the pepper jelly:
2 cups chopped bell pepper (we use the food processor to chop)
1 lb chopped jalapeños, seeds removed for a milder jelly
5 cups granulated sugar
1½ cups apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
3 ounces fruit pectin, liquid
For the apple salad:
1 Granny Smith apple, julienned
1 tbsp preserved horseradish
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
Instructions
For the goat cheese: In mixer beat together both cheeses. Gradually pour in cream and “whoop” till fluffy.
For the pepper jelly: Put chopped peppers in a tea towel and wring out some of the liquid (reserve in case jelly is too thick).
In a large sauce pot, mix your peppers, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat and continue to boil for 10 minutes.
Add pectin and boil for another 5 minutes. The best way to check the consistency of your jelly it to drizzle a little onto a frozen plate and see if it is correct. Chill in the fridge completely before serving.
For the apple salad: Cut the apple. We use a mandolin with julienne attachment.
Mix with other ingredients. Do this close to serving so the apple stays crisp.
To assemble: Referencing photo, serve goat cheese in a ball on the plate. Spoon pepper jelly in the middle and around the perimeter of the cheese. Top with apple salad.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: English breakfast deviled eggs, more: 3 Top Chef Easter brunch dishes
