Easter

Early Bird Breakfast Tacos

by:
June  9, 2011
4
3 Ratings
Photo by Luzena Adams
  • Serves 2 to 4
Author Notes

This past summer, my sister and I opened up a gourmet taco cart in downtown Bloomington, Indiana. Eventually, life took over (she was in school, and I was working full-time), so we left the street-food business, but not before some insanely delicious taco recipes were born.

Our most popular taco by far was "The Early Bird." With its ground pork goodness, eggs, carrot escabeche, and roasted poblano cream sauce, it's really a mystery as to how we never became famous...

So without further ado, we give you; The Early Bird.

Philip M

Test Kitchen Notes

If these tacos are a glimpse into what Philip M.'s food truck was, I wish it were still in business. All the ingredients worked well together. The smokiness of the pork and chorizo was balanced by the coolness of the poblano cream sauce, and the eggs were a soft contrast against the crunchy carrot escabeche. There is some prep involved, but once the cream sauce and escabeche are done, the rest is a breeze. Although these tacos are referred to as a breakfast dish, I feel you could eat them at any time of day. Pair them with some rice and beans for a Mexican-inspired dinner. —singing_baker

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the carrot esabeche
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 (10-ounce) bag of matchstick carrots
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 (4-ounce) can diced jalapeños, juices drained
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • For the roasted poblano cream sauce
  • 1 large fresh poblano chile
  • 2 tablespoons chopped white onion
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • To assemble the tacos
  • 1 packet (10-count, 6-inch) flour tortillas (trust us)
  • 1/2 pound ground pork (not sausage)
  • 1/2 pound chorizo (the fresh Mexican kind, not cured Spanish chorizo)
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 (8-ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 bunch cilantro, for garnish
Directions
  1. Make the carrot escabeche: Sauté the onion, carrots, and garlic in the butter for 5 minutes. Combine the sautéed mixture with the jalapeños and vinegar and store in a sealed jar for at least 24 hours.
  2. Make the roasted poblano cream sauce: Char the chile over a gas flame until blackened in spots, seal in a plastic bag, and let cool. Peel, seed, and chop coarsely. Sauté the onion and garlic in butter until soft, then add the chile. Add cream and milk and bring to boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced. Transfer to a blender, purée until smooth, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Assemble the tacos: Heat the tortillas in the oven or microwave, according to package directions. Sauté the meat in a pan until browned and cooked through, scramble the eggs with cheese, top with the carrot escabeche and roasted poblano cream sauce, then garnish with cilantro. You're good to go—best breakfast tacos ever!
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9 Reviews

muse2323 June 27, 2011
This sounds fantastic. Had to look up carrots escabeche, though, as I doubt I'll find them in my grocery store. Recipe for making them: http://spiciefoodie.blogspot.com/2010/08/zanahorias-en-escabeche-or-mexican.html. (Anyone have an opinion of this recipe for Mexican pickled carrots?) Any suggestions for making a good poblano cream sauce?
 
susan G. September 18, 2011
Right here in step 1 and 2.
 
Philip M. June 26, 2011
Thanks singing_baker for an awesome review!
 
gingerroot June 19, 2011
I made these today for an all day birthday celebration; we started our morning off with these amazing tacos! Loved the balance of sour/smoky with the meat and eggs. They were delicious, best breakfast tacos indeed!
 
Philip M. June 26, 2011
So glad you enjoyed them gingerroot! Its been alot of fun passing the recipe along, and hearing what others think of it.
 
singing_baker June 17, 2011
So excited to be testing these!
 
lorigoldsby June 16, 2011
congrats! Glad to see another "hoosier" in the food52 community!
 
Philip M. June 16, 2011
Thanks Gingerroot!
 
gingerroot June 15, 2011
These sound delicious.