Many times during our travels, we find food that makes our trip even more memorable. This sandwich has great flavor and shows creativity by thinking outside the box. The egg salad sandwich, with smoked Duke’s mayonnaise, and yolk jam on Brioche is a recipe from The Bar at Willett in Bardstown, Kentucky. The distillery and The Bar at Willett should be on your bucket list. It features imaginative, tasty and comforting small plates, with amazing bourbons, and well-crafted cocktails.
The Bar at Willett, the best Bourbon Bar ever
Bar food is often described as fried, greasy chicken wings, fried cheese sticks, nachos, etc. something you wash down with a pint of lager. The Bar at Willett will prove you wrong. John Sleasman, the executive chef at the Bar at Willett, creates what he calls “small, shareable plates that are fun to eat”.
Chefs main goal is to keep his dishes direct and honest, and it shows. His imaginative small plates and snacks are taken to another level and prepared in truly amazing surroundings with comfort in mind.
Whenever possible, I love to connect with the chefs of the restaurants I visit. The day I visited, I had a chat with Trey Tench, Chef de Cuisine at the Bar at Willett. Chef Trench was so kind to share the egg salad sandwich recipe.
If you ever plan to visit the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky the Willett distillery is a must-see experience. The bar gives you the opportunity to sip truly amazing whiskeys, all served with that special Southern hospitality. As a bonus, it’s obvious that the chef is challenging the status of bar food by providing innovative, exceptional food.
Egg Salad Sandwich
There are egg salad sandwiches and then there are egg salad sandwiches. The Bar at Willett’s egg salad sandwich is made with nutritional yeast adding an incredible, nutty, cheesy, and savory flavor; as well as extra vitamin and mineral content. Finished with egg jam, and shredded salt-cured egg yolk, you are eating comfort and layers of flavors. Shredding the cured egg yolk on top of the sandwich kicked everything up a notch. I say success depends on the quality of the eggs, so going for fresh farmers’ market eggs and Duke’s mayonnaise is a must. I was once told there is not one self-respecting Southern lady that doesn’t keep Duke’s mayo on hand. I truly believe in the South, Duke’s mayo is considered a mother sauce. Duke’s has been a staple for 100 years and there’s a reason for that, it’s just the best.
Chef’s tip:
Take advantage of the nutritional yeast’s flavor and benefits by using it as a seasoning.
Sprinkle it on top of a mixed green salad, soups, casseroles, or warm pasta dishes
like my six egg yolk pasta,
Why cure egg yolks and are they safe to eat?
Salt curing is a way of preserving food and it’s been around for hundreds of years. There’s a great article from SpruceEats that describes food spoilage and how salt works as a preservative. Salt curing is safe. Salt inhibits the growth of spoilage causing micro-organisms, by drawing water out of microbial cells. The curing transforms the egg yolks into something dense and bright yellow with a concentrated umami flavor. Next time you use egg whites, don’t toss the egg yolks – cure them.
It takes 7 days to salt-cure egg yolks.
Salt-cured egg yolks, the process is actually very easy. I add sugar to my salt cure which balances out the salt and also performs some preservative function of its own. Once they are cured, you’ll find the texture has changed significantly. The eggs lose about 50 percent of their weight due to water that’s removed during the curing process. You will notice they are firm and a little bit hard and they will have a beautiful bright yellow cured yolk.
When lunch is a simple salad or an egg salad sandwich
Adding a little something like a shaved salt-cured egg yolk will add another layer of goodness and flavor. Salt-cured egg yolks can be thinly sliced or grated. Just like aged hard cheese, such as Parmesan or Manchego, you can grate the cured yolks over soups, salads, pasta, and meats quickly adding umami to your dish. Serve with charred or roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts. Add shaved cured egg yolk to your German Potato salad or add some incredible umami with grated salt-cured egg yolk to a simple Alfredo sauce. The options are endless.
Yolk Jam
The irresistibly rich umami flavor of egg yolk jam lends itself well to so many uses. Yolk jam is another great addition to the egg salad sandwich. Egg yolks cooked Sous vide at 67 C or 152.6 F for 30 minutes, turn into a soft jam-like texture that easily holds their shape. Blended with smoked soy sauce it adds that wonderful umami.
In case you don’t have an Emersion circulator you can place eggs in a saucepan, add water to cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, remove from saucepan, and immerse in ice water. Cool completely and blend the egg yolks with the smoked soy sauce in a food processor.
Eating and drinking are about moderation
I love salt-cured egg yolks, however, I eat salt-cured egg yolks in moderation for a reason.
Diets containing high amounts of food preserved by salting and pickling should be eaten in moderation. One cured egg yolk has about 600 mg of sodium so, with one cured egg yolk, you are consuming about one-third of the recommended daily sodium intake of 2000 mg.
The Taste
An awesome balance, contrast, and clean layers of flavors.
The yolk jam and salt-cured eggs add another welcome layer of flavor and creaminess.
The nutritional yeast adds an incredible, nutty, cheesy, and savory flavor to the egg salad
The Process
Easy to make, with flavor that speaks for itself.
The most challenging part is waiting for the egg yolks to cure
The Verdict
There are egg salad sandwiches and then there are egg salad sandwiches.
The Bar at Willett Egg Salad salad is not your ordinary egg salad,
Make the recipe and enjoy,
It’s EPIC.
Egg Salad Sandwich | Smoked Duke's | Yolk Jam
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
Egg Salad
- 12 eggs medium-sized, farmer's market kind
- 7 ounce Dukes mayonnaise
- 0.25 ounce nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp paprika smoked
- 0.25 ounce mustard yellow
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1 tbsp fine herbs minced
- 1/2 tsp vinegar champagne
- 1 pinch black pepper, ground
Egg Yolk Jam
- 12 egg yolks medium-sized, farmer's market kind
- 1 tsp soy sauce smoked
Garnish
- 4 salt-cured egg yolks
- 3 tbsp chives finely sliced
- 12 slices Brioche
Instructions
Egg salad
- Bring 12 eggs to a boil in cold water. Boil for 5 1/2 minutes and cool under running cold water. Peel the eggs and chill. Once cold, pass through a wire rack to "dice" the eggs.12 eggs
Add the measured ingredients
- Mix the diced eggs with the measured ingredients.7 ounce Dukes mayonnaise, 0.25 ounce nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp paprika smoked, 0.25 ounce mustard yellow, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1 tbsp fine herbs, 1/2 tsp vinegar champagne, 1 pinch black pepper, ground
Egg yolk jam
- Separate egg yolks from the egg. Pass egg yolks through a fine strainer then place them into a mixing bowl. Stir in soy sauce. Place egg yolk soy mixture in a disposable pastry bag and seal. Circulate egg yolk soy mixture at 67 C or 152.6 F for thirty minutes, then shock in ice water.12 egg yolks, 1 tsp soy sauce smoked
Assemble sandwich
- Toast the Brioche slices in butter until golden brown. Allow the bread to cool slightly before assembling.12 slices Brioche
- Place approximately 1/2 cup of egg salad on bread and top with the other slice, pushing down gently, almost creating a "seal" between the slices of brioche.
- With a serrated knife trim, the edges of the sandwich create the perfect square. Then cut the sandwich in half.
- Take a small amount of egg yolk jam and spread it over the entire sandwich.
- Take a cured egg yolk and with a micro-plane shred yolk over the entire sandwich. Finish the sandwich with a sprinkle of the chives snips.4 salt-cured egg yolks, 3 tbsp chives
Chef Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate
The egg salad sandwich at Willett is fantastic. It’s a must try if your every in Bardstown.