Matty Matheson's waffle breakfast sandwich is everything you love about brunch in one epic stack
CBC Life | Posted: November 20, 2024 6:38 PM | Last Updated: November 20
An indulgent recipe from his new cookbook loaded with mascarpone, jam, fried egg and crispy bacon
Skip your usual weekend waffles and go for something extra with Matty Matheson’s epic recipe, stacking all your favourite breakfast foods into one big, beautiful sandwich. It’s from the chef and actor’s third cookbook, Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, and while all of the components are delicious on their own, it’s the tasty mix of sweet and savoury nestled between the cinnamon sugar–coated deep-fried waffles that truly shines here.
Make it for family, make it for friends or make it your new holiday brunch scene-stealer — but don’t let the steps scare you off. The jam is prepped ahead of time, the waffles come straight from the freezer, and the bacon and eggs are cooked together on a single sheet pan.
Waffle Breakfast Sandwich with Mascarpone, Freezer Strawberry Jam, Fried Egg, and Bacon
By Matty Matheson
Straight up, this f--king rocks. We are dream-weaving for black hole–diving psychopaths. I used to get everything bagels toasted with herb and garlic cream cheese and sometimes I’d pair strawberry jam with bacon, but I’m healthy now. That’s the past, and we don’t look back. This is a mega version of that, made with Tricia’s help. She’s the best waffle maker outside Belgium. The fried egg is just a beautiful cherry on top. Also, just so everyone knows, our kids didn’t eat this at all. It’s insane to even think they would. And don’t forget to make the jam the day before!
Ingredients
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut in half
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups canola oil
- 8 frozen waffles
- 1 cup Strawberry Freezer Jam (recipe follows)
Strawberry Freezer Jam:
- 2 cups strawberries, hulled and crushed
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 57g (2 oz) pectin powder
- ¾ cup water
Preparation
Place your baking sheet in your oven and preheat it to 450°F.
Prepare your mascarpone filling. In a large, chilled bowl, whisk your cream with 1 cup of the sugar until you achieve stiff peaks. This can be done with a hand mixer as well if you aren’t up for the forearm challenge. Transfer half of this to a second bowl. Add your mascarpone and whisk it together until thoroughly combined. Add the remainder of your whipped cream and gently fold it in with a spatula. Cover and keep in the fridge (about 20 minutes) until ready to use.
Next, we’re going to make sheet-pan eggs and bacon. Arrange the bacon on the preheated baking sheet and roast until the fat renders and the bacon curls, about 8 minutes. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and move the bacon to one side of the pan. On the other side, crack your eggs and immediately return it to the oven. Roast until the whites are just set, about 3 minutes. Take it out of the oven and set it aside.
Line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining 2 cups sugar, the cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. In a large pot, heat your oil to 350°F. Fry your waffles, 4 pieces at a time, until golden brown, 2 minutes per side. Immediately toss them in your sugar mixture and transfer them to the paper towel–lined baking sheet.
Smother 4 waffles with the whipped mascarpone and top with an egg, 2 halves of crispy fried bacon, and ¼ cup of the jam. Top with the remaining fried waffles and eat immediately.
Serves 4
Strawberry Freezer Jam:
In a large bowl, combine the strawberries and sugar. Let stand for 15 minutes.
In a small saucepan, bring the pectin powder and water to a boil. Simmer on high for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add this mixture to the macerated strawberries and stir for another 3 minutes.
Transfer to clean jars and seal tightly. Do not overfill, leave a bit of space in those jars. Let this sit in the fridge overnight to set and transfer to your freezer. This will keep for up to 8 weeks.
Makes 3 pints
Excerpted from Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson. Copyright © 2024 Matty Matheson. Photographs by Quentin Bacon. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.