Carbonara Egg Muffins

From the recipe author: The elusive Craftsman & Wolves Pastry meets classic Italian pasta. This breakfast is perfect for a leisurely Sunday morning, ideal for enjoying after a visit to the farmers market with a refreshing iced coffee in hand—just like Emily Mariko might. The original pastry hails from the famous San Francisco bakery, Craftsman & Wolves, known for its Asiago cheese, scallions, and breakfast sausage. I've added an Italian twist by swapping in Pecorino/Parmesan, chives, and guanciale.

To make the soft-boiled eggs

1. Heat a medium sauce pot filled with water to about three-quarters full until it comes to a boil. Gently lower in fridge-cold eggs.

2. Lower the heat slightly so the eggs don’t crack due to being bashed around but water is still at a gentle boil. Keep between low to medium low heat. Gently boil the eggs for six minutes.

3. Once cooked, transfer eggs into a medium bowl of ice water. Allow to sit in the ice water for a few minutes, then peel underwater starting from the base.

4. Allow the peeled eggs to sit at room temperature while you make your batter.

To make the muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 425F and grease a six count muffin pan. Set aside.

2. Place the guanciale batons in a cold sauté pan and gradually heat on medium to render the fat and crisp the pieces. Once browned on all sides, transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a small bowl, mix the Pecorino and Parmesan together and set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs, melted butter, oil, and milk.

5. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir with spatula until ingredients are mostly combined.

6. Fold in 1 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture, chives, black pepper, and cooked guanciale. Mix until evenly distributed. The batter will be thick.

7. Coat each egg in a thin layer of all-purpose flour. This will prevent the eggs from sinking to the bottom during cooking.

8. Transfer the batter to a piping bag. Pipe a thin layer of batter in the bottom of each muffin pan cup. Place a flour-coated soft boiled egg in the center. Continue to pipe the batter around the egg; swirling over the top.

9. Using a wet finger, close up any open seams of the batter to ensure the egg is not exposed too much to the oven’s heat. Top each muffin dome with 1/4 cup of the reserved cheese mixture.

10. Bake muffins for 20 minutes, rotating the muffin pan halfway through the baking time. The tops of the muffins should be golden brown.

11. After baking, promptly transfer the muffins to a cooling rack using an offset spatula or butter knife. This step is necessary to prevent the eggs from overcooking in the hot muffin pan.

12. Enjoy the muffins warm. Per tradition at Craftsman & Wolves, split the muffins in half and sprinkle with a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt. These muffins can be stored in the fridge for up to three days, but keep in mind that the yolks won’t remain runny if you reheat them.

Farm Team Tips

1. Anything other than a six minute egg may be undercooked and hard to peel or overcooked and chalky.

2. Coating the cooked eggs in a light dusting of all-purpose flour will help them stay suspended in the muffin batter and also offer some protection from the oven's heat. Baking the muffins at a high temperature helps achieve a quick rise and minimizes their time in the oven.

3. While you could use a smaller muffin pan for a faster bake, in true Craftsman & Wolves fashion, the larger muffin pan tends to yield the tastiest results!

4. This recipe is fairly intricate, so it's best to prep all your ingredients in advance: bring your wet ingredients to room temperature, cook the guanciale, and measure and mix your dry ingredients. Allowing your wet ingredients to come to room temperature will make it easier to incorporate them into the batter.