The Perfect Breakfast Sandwich

Finding the perfect breakfast sandwich has been a long-time quest of mine. I have spent many a weekend morning hunting down the best of what Venice and Santa Monica have to offer. And believe me, the list is quite plentiful. Some of the best around town include the breakfast sandwiches at GTA, Zinque, and Brick + Mortar. In the new year I have switched gears entirely by taking this experiment to my kitchen. The results are as follows: Fresh ingredients are absolutely key to building the perfect sandwich. I stocked up on fresh tomatoes, avocado, and a pumpkin-seed loaf of bread from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, while picking up a wedge of smoked gouda from Bay Cities Italian Deli.

I have yet to find a quality breakfast sandwich without a strip or two of perfectly cooked bacon.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

1 large, brown egg 2 slices of toast (pumpkin seed loaf used above) 2 slices, fresh tomato 1/2 avocado, sliced 1 slice, applewood-smoked bacon 3 thin slices, smoked gouda cheese

Preparation

Toast the slices of bread in a toaster-oven until lightly browned.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Crack the egg into the skillet, seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.

Place the fried egg on the slice of toast. Top with the tomato slices, cooked bacon, gouda cheese, and avocado.

Optional: Garnish with fresh basil

Serve with your favorite hot sauce!