Egg and Smoked Salmon in a Crisp, Layered Breakfast Mille-feuille

Prepare an Egg and Smoked Salmon in a Crisp, Layered Breakfast Mille-feuille for a satisfying morning dish. One thawed puff pastry square cooked in a 350°F (180°C) oven pairs with eight eggs to build the sandwich. The cured seafood fits those tender curds more naturally than crispy bacon, while crème fraîche guarantees a moist filling.

Preparing the puff pastry

Store-bought puff pastry saves time in the morning. You just need to thaw a 10-inch by 10-inch (25 cm by 25 cm) square sheet. You cut the dough down the middle. You slice each half into four smaller pieces. This gives you eight rectangles measuring 2.5 by 5 inches (6 cm by 12.5 cm). You transfer these puff pastry pieces to a prepared baking tray.

You whisk one egg until it turns golden. You brush the tops of the rectangles with the beaten egg. You must keep the egg wash away from the cut edges of the dough. The wash acts like a glue. It stops the pastry from rising evenly in the oven.

The pieces bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350°F (180°C). You pull them out when they look puffed and golden. You set the pieces aside to cool. Once cool, you split each one through the middle like a hamburger bun. These split pieces form the top and bottom layers of your sandwich.

Cooking the scrambled eggs

You mix the crème fraîche and chopped chives in a small bowl. You set this aside. You whisk the remaining eggs with cream or full cream milk.

You can double the cream to get a wetter, thicker scrambled egg texture. You melt butter in a skillet over medium heat to medium-high. You need to watch the pan closely. You must not brown the butter. Browned butter alters the taste of the eggs.

You pour the eggs into the hot skillet. You leave the eggs untouched for 20 seconds. You scrape and fold them gently for 30 seconds to one minute. Do not stir the eggs vigorously. Fast stirring creates a dry, crumbly texture rather than soft folds. You want the curds mostly cooked but still wet.

Assembling the sandwich

You turn off the stove. You add the salt and black pepper. You fold the eggs briefly. You take the pan off the burner right before they reach your preferred doneness. The residual heat in the pan will finish cooking them.

You set the baked pastry bases on plates. You portion the warm eggs evenly over each base. You layer the smoked salmon over the hot eggs. Smoked salmon works well here. It matches the soft texture of the eggs better than crispy ingredients.

You spread the crème fraîche and chive mixture over the salmon. The crème fraîche provides essential moisture to the assembled pastry. You place the top pastry halves over the filling.

You need to serve the dish immediately after assembling the hot eggs and pastry.

Ingredient substitutions

You can alter the fillings based on your preferences or what you have in the refrigerator.

• Sour cream or thick, full-fat yogurt can replace the crème fraîche.
• Shaved ham, chopped antipasto, prosciutto, or chopped bacon work well instead of smoked salmon.
• Feel free to skip spreading the crème fraîche mixture into the sandwich layers, offering it on the side at the table instead.