Breakfast Wreath

A great combination of bacon, egg, cheese, and golden brown pastry, this festive creation makes a wonderful breakfast for guests. Look for crescent dinner rolls in the refrigerated section of the grocery store (they come in a can). Use any cheese you prefer, such as cheddar, Jack, pepper-Jack, gouda, or Swiss. You can also substitute chopped deli ham for bacon if you have that on hand, or even add jalapeño to the pepper mix for a spicy wreath. In other words, it’s easy to tailor this savory pastry to your tastes. A quick tip: when you’re beginning to assemble the dough, pencil a circle on the parchment paper to use as a guide.

Ingredients

• 8 bacon slices

• 2 (8-oz.) cans refrigerated crescent rolls

• 1 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small sweet onion, diced

• 1 large red bell pepper, diced

• 9 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon table salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• 4 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

• 4 large egg yolks

• 1 teaspoon water

• Prepared salsa (optional)

Nutrition

Calories 305.98

Fat 20.01g

Sat Fat 7.47g

Protein 12.62g

Carbohydrate 17.02g

Fiber 0.40g

Sugar 3.69g

Carbohydrate 174.36mg

Sodium 739.36mg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium until crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Place bacon on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Roughly chop bacon.

2. Separate crescent roll dough into triangles. Arrange triangles in a circle, wide ends facing in and points facing out like a sun, and shingling wide ends by about half, on a rimless baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press overlapping pieces to create a solid sheet of dough. (There will be an 8- or 9-inch open circle in the center.) Chill until ready to use.

3. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk together eggs, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Add butter to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until butter melts. Add egg mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are just set, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Remove dough circle from refrigerator. Arrange egg mixture over widest part of dough circle, leaving dough points exposed. Sprinkle with cheese, and top with chopped bacon. Pull pointed ends of dough up and over filling, and tuck points under inner circle to form a ring. Whisk together egg yolk and water in a small bowl; brush over dough. Bake in preheated oven until deep golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes.

5. Cut wreath into wedges, and, if desired, serve with salsa.

Yields: 12 (serving size: 1 piece)