Jay D's Bites: B.E.L.T. Sandwich

by Therese Schneider

I love this time of year right at the end of spring and the beginning of summer. All of the best produce comes to the Farmer’s Market. One of my favorite ingredients is the heirloom tomato. They’re so juicy, sweet and fragrant and make for an awesome romesco sauce or as a key player in your sandwiches. Recently, I tried it on a very simple B.E.L.T. The BLT brings me back to my childhood. I can whip up a pretty mean BLT, but my dad’s is still the best.

To kitck it up a notch, I added a fried egg to it...that’s the “E” in the B.E.L.T (see what I did there?). Instead of regular lettuce, I used Arugula which gives it a nice bite and goes great with the Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard. Try it out and let me know what you think!

B.E.L.T. Sandwich

1 Artisanal loaf, you’ll need 2 slices per sandwich
1 egg
½ cup of Arugula
2 slices of bacon
1 heirloom tomato, sliced
1 Tbsp of Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard
2 Tbsp of mayonnaise
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper put down your slices of bread and drizzle with 2 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (saving the remaining 1 Tbsp for the egg), then pop it in the oven for 6-8 mins or until it starts to develope a little bit of brown around the crust. While the bread is in the oven, cook bacon to desired crispiness and set aside. 

Next, combine the molasses mustard and mayo and set aside. Get 2 slices of the toasted bread and spread the molasses mustard/mayo mixture on the each slice, add arugula, 2 slices of tomato and bacon. 

Then, in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, crack the egg in the skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the whites look almost done, but still a little runny. With a spatula, flip your egg and let it continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes and add it on top of the bacon. Put it all together and there you have it!

Burgers with Chuck: Mason's Grill Breakfast Burger

by Chuck P

If you’re familiar with the brunch at Mason’s Grill then you know to prepare yourself for 3 things: delicious food, a their national award-winning Bloody Mason and bottomless mimosas. Don’t let the wait scare you off if you’ve never been, the end result is completely worth it.

Brunch in Baton Rouge is a big deal, with many local restaurants cooking up tasty dishes, but it’s the great comfort food, super friendly staff and a feeling of being at home that makes Mason’s Grill one the biggest destinations for families and friends on Saturday and Sunday mornings. There’s something for everyone on their menu but the one thing that keeps calling me back is their Breakfast Burger.

Let me break it down for you: stacked between two soft, sweet buns are a 4oz homemade breakfast sausage patty, American cheese, a fried egg, bacon, a 4oz hamburger patty, more American cheese, ANOTHER FRIED EGG and dressed with the usual toppings although I tend to do away with the “salad” so as to focus on the burger itself. 

Whoa! It is a sight to behold and is quite the challenge to finish.

This burger is gluttony at its finest. Once you squeeze it together and those egg yolks break and begin to take over every little nook and cranny it becomes a thing of beauty. The breakfast sausage is what stands out on this dish. There’s a bit of spiciness to it that blends together perfectly with the hamburger patty and those tasty eggs. It’s so good that no matter how full you feel, you find it hard to stop eating. Either way there will be a nap in your immediate future.

Like I said before, everything on their menu is great, but do yourself a favor and try the Breakfast Burger on your own or if you’re in a giving mood, share it with the one you love most. The doors at Mason’s Grill open at 9am every Saturday and Sunday so get there early for a table or arrive later and grab one of those spicy Bloody Masons and sit back and think about how much you’ll enjoy the food coma that’s to come.