Derby Sage, Basil and Egg
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If you're familiar with the background of this site, or you've taken a good read of the about section, you'll be aware of the 63 day challenge I undertook to find the best grilled cheese combination. Derby Sage is actually a cheese I discovered after that initial challenge, but it was immediately clear to me that it was something that needed to be revisited in the future; in many ways you can say that it's the reason (at least in some part) that this site exists.
So what actually is Derby Sage? Well in short, it's a semi-firm cheese with a relatively mild flavour punctuated by herbaceous overtones. Depending on the quality (read: price) of the piece you have, the flavour will either come throught he use of added sage powder, or by the piece having actual sage leaves running through it. Visually it's quite striking, with a marbled green texture that melts down into a more consistent light green colour when cooked.
For a cheese with such a distinct appearance, its mild but interesting flavour makes it rather versatile. You can think of it as occupying a similar space to mild cheddar or Monterey Jack, and on on more than one occasion I've described it as the perfect cheeseburger cheese. In the creation below I've opted to pair Derby Sage with basil to further enchance the herbed essence that comes through, then thrown an egg on top to add a richness to the flavour. I hope you'll enjoy it.
Derby Sage, Basil and Egg
Serves: 1 Person
French whole wheat bread, layered with derby sage, fresh basil and a large egg; seasoned with cracked rainbow peppercorns.
Ingredients
- 1 Slice of French Whole Wheat Bread
- 50-60g Derby Sage Cheese
- 1 Medium Egg
- A Few Leaves of Fresh Basil
- Peppercorns
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- General Cooking Oil (eg: Vegetable Oil)
Instructions
- Heat a layer of cooking oil in a pan at a low temperature, and crack in the large egg; you want this to cook slowly so that the yolk stays nice and runny.
- Cover a second frying pan with a layer of olive oil and bring to a medium/high temperature.
- Quickly fry the bread slice in the second pan; flip to ensure both sides are evenly done and the bread is crispy.
- Grate the entirety of the cheese.
- Remove the bread from the pan and place on a plate.
- Cover the bread with about three quarters of the grated cheese.
- On top of the cheese, add a layer of fresh basil.
- Carefully place the fried egg on top of the basil.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the egg (particulary the yolk).
- Crack and season with the peppercorns as desired.
Notes & Tips
I used rainbow peppercorns, but cracked black peppercorns would work just as well. When frying the egg, the key is to let it take as long as is necessary; slower cooking leads to a fuller white and runnier yolk. You want to add the cheese quickly after removing the bread from the pan to ensure it will melt (ie: before the bread cools); if the egg is added quickly, this can also aid with the melting process.
