Uncovering the Rebel Within
2.29.2016
For my first post I decided to tackle Craftsmen & Wolves’ infamous Rebel Within. Which is the food equivalent of Kim Kardashian on Instagram (Except it doesn’t stand naked in the bathroom and take pictures of itself). Because recently Eater published an article revealing the secrets behind this modern day Easter egg hunt. Rather than coloring eggs and hiding candy in plastic shells, why not hide them inside a savory muffin this year?
When I first started this adaptation I figured it’d be an easy slam dunk. But I was to be proven wrong. My first speedbump came when I learned that not all muffin pans are equal. Which meant that baking time will be different than egg-pected. It took several trials and many sacrificial eggs to find the egg-act cooking time. One that not only preserved the still gooey yolk but gave enough time for the batter to set.
After going through this egg-ercise, I won’t be adding the Rebel Within into my usual baking rotation. While I like the idea of a savory breakfast muffin, these rebels were egg-spensive. Not only did it require close to a dozen eggs, but also three types of cheeses! It’s creator even uses crème fraiche, which is egg-stravagant and unfortunately reminds me of Randy’s obsession with it in South Park. Also by the end of all this, I couldn't stand to see let alone eat another soft-boiled egg. At least for awhile.
Verdict: Like any Internet celeb this one is better left admired from afar.
When I first started this adaptation I figured it’d be an easy slam dunk. But I was to be proven wrong. My first speedbump came when I learned that not all muffin pans are equal. Which meant that baking time will be different than egg-pected. It took several trials and many sacrificial eggs to find the egg-act cooking time. One that not only preserved the still gooey yolk but gave enough time for the batter to set.
After going through this egg-ercise, I won’t be adding the Rebel Within into my usual baking rotation. While I like the idea of a savory breakfast muffin, these rebels were egg-spensive. Not only did it require close to a dozen eggs, but also three types of cheeses! It’s creator even uses crème fraiche, which is egg-stravagant and unfortunately reminds me of Randy’s obsession with it in South Park. Also by the end of all this, I couldn't stand to see let alone eat another soft-boiled egg. At least for awhile.
Verdict: Like any Internet celeb this one is better left admired from afar.
Notes:
- I kept all of the measurements in grams and not by volume (cups) to make this adaptation easy and close to the original as possible.
- This is adapted for standard muffin pans that most home cooks have. Which are only 1 ½ inches deep. The original recipe is for restaurant or commercial-sized pans.
- It’s important to crumble the sausage so it’s lentil to pea sized. Otherwise your piping bag will clog and you’ll have gaps in your muffin mold.
- Most importantly, the cakes will be fairly pale but fully cooked in 8-9 min. For my oven, the sweet spot is 8 min. Again you may need to adjust it by a minute or so, but don’t bake them for any longer. Otherwise your hidden soft-boiled egg will turn into a hard boiled egg!
Rebel Within
Adapted from Craftsmen & Wolves
Adapted from Craftsmen & Wolves
Makes 6 cakes
Ingredients
Instructions
Ingredients
- 70g Asiago cheese, grated
- 70g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 137g sour cream
- 41g green onion (1 bunch), chopped
- 102g grapeseed oil (or any high smoke point and neutral flavored oil)
- 268g cake flour plus 1 Tbsp reserved
- 206g large eggs (or 3 ½ large eggs)
- 145g pork sausage, cooked and finely crumbled (½ lb raw weight)
- 6 soft-boiled egg (cooked 6 min), cooled and peeled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 455F, and place a rack on the middle setting.
- Sift flour into a bowl and set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together eggs and oil for 30 sec or till well blended.
- Add in sour cream and mix till incorporated.
- Add flour in thirds and whisk between each addition.
- Once batter comes together, switch to a spatula and fold in green onions, sausage, and both cheeses. Note that the dough will have a thick texture.
- Each cake will need to be spaced apart to allow for even heat circulation. See above photo for arrangement.
- Spoon batter into a piping bag (aka Ziplock bag) and pipe enough batter to fill half of the mold.
- With a spoon, press some of the batter up the sides
- Next, gently roll each egg in cake flour. Ensuring each has a light coat as this allows the batter to stick to the egg and not slide off during baking.
- Place each egg into the prepared molds with the pointy end of the egg facing up.
- Pipe the remaining batter over the eggs, but take care not to lay too thick a layer.
- Again, use your spoon to smooth over the tops of each cake.
- Bake for 8-9 min.
- Cool in pan for 5 mins before serving.