Boxing Match: Speckled Egg

Photography by Dave Bryce. Styling by Rafael Vencio.

Speckled Egg co-founders Nathan and Jacqueline Schoedel double down on local with ingredients fro Commonplace Coffee and Wild Purveyors. Their combination is certainly a hearty breakfast with a cup of fresh coffee, but also a dream dinner with a dark beer to reinforce the coffee notes of the steak.

Serves 2

Coffee-Crusted Steak

1⁄4 cup coarse ground black peppercorns

1⁄2 cup kosher salt

1⁄2 cup Paul Family Farms maple sugar

1⁄2 cup Commonplace Coffee granules, finely ground

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp coriander

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

2 Delmonico steaks, 1-inch thick

6 tbsp butter

For the steaks:
One hour before cooking, take the steaks out of the refrigerator and pat dry with a paper towel. Start your potatoes (see below).

Mix your rub ingredients together in a casserole or flat-bottomed bowl large enough for a steak. Taking the steaks one at a time, rub both sides of steak with coffee rub, and rub the mixture into the steaks. Set steaks aside to warm at room temperature. Sip a glass of red wine.

Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat. Place 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the hot pan and place the steaks in the pan. Sear the steaks 2 to 3 minutes without lifting or moving them or until crusty and brown. Flip the steaks and place in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Cook the steaks until medium-rare (130 degrees internal temperature) or to your liking. Check the steaks' internal temperatures after 2 minutes, then every minute until they reach the desired temperature. Add 6 tablespoons of butter to the pan and baste the steaks until butter becomes fragrant. Save the pan drippings! We prefer steaks to be cooked to medium (135 degree internal temperature). Remember, the meat will continue cooking after it is removed from the heat source. Remove the steaks from the pan and set them aside; cover with a foil tent to rest 5 minutes before serving.

After resting, slice 1/2-inch slices and plate with kale and baked potato. Top the steaks with duck eggs and red eye gravy (see below).

Duck Eggs

2 duck eggs

1 tbsp butter

Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the sunny-side duck eggs:
In a nonstick pan over low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Crack the duck eggs into the pan, and season them to taste with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Let the eggs cook on one side very gently for a couple of minutes, or until the whites just set but the yolks remain runny. Top rested steaks with eggs and sprinkle them very lightly with salt.

Baked Potatoes

2 baking potatoes

Butter

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

For the potatoes:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut a cross into the potatoes. Put the potatoes on the upper rack of the oven - straight on the rack, not a baking tray. Cook 1 to 2 hours (usually closer to 2). When they feel crunchy on the outside, pull the rack out, cut open the potatoes again to release the steam, then put them back into the oven. The important thing is to not turn down the oven as they go soggy and lose their crunch. After 10 minutes, serve immediately with loads of butter, salt, and pepper.

Kale

3 large or 4 smaller bunches kale, any type (about 11⁄2 pounds)

5 garlic cloves

1⁄4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Freshly ground black pepper

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan (for serving)

Crushed red pepper flakes (for serving)

For the kale:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Strip kale leaves from ribs and stems, then tear leaves crosswise into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Cook kale in boiling water until bright green and slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer kale to a colander and rinse under cold water, tossing; squeeze out excess liquid from leaves. Whack garlic with the side of a chef’s knife to crush; peel off skins. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until sizzling, about 3 minutes. Season very generously with black pepper and cook, smashing with a wooden spoon, until cloves break into rough pieces, soften, and look golden. Add kale to pot and cook, stirring often, until darkened in color and very tender, about 8 minutes (garlic will break into even smaller pieces). Season with kosher salt and pepper.

Red-Eye Gravy

4 tbsp flour

Pan drippings from steak

1⁄4 cup red wine (the wine that you just opened for a glass)

2 cups of hot coffee (use the leftover coffee from your pot of morning joe)

1 tbsp salt

For the red-eye gravy:
While the steak is resting, return your cast-iron skillet to medium low-heat, add the flour, and whisk thoroughly. Cook the flour on medium-low until it smells like buttered popcorn, 2 minutes. Add the red wine and coffee slowly while whisking the roux. Add salt, bring to boil over medium low heat. Once boiling, turn down to simmer. Ladle over sliced steak.

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