How do you like your eggs?
If you have ever seen 'Runaway Bride' (and I'm sure you have, Richard Gere and Julia Roberts are almost impossible to resist), you must be familiar with Eggs Benedict. Not only is it Maggie Carpenter's (Julia Roberts) favourite way to eat eggs, it's also probably the most indulgent way to eat an egg. Picture this, crispy ham on a buttery toasted muffin...silky, poached egg slathered with a thick and luscious hollandaise sauce...drooling yet? Eggs Benedict is a breakfast classic and a perfect way to begin an indulgent day. For its pure decadence, I include this in my Christmas cooklist
Eggs Benedict has so many components, so much technique, that it can make it's way to a Masterchef Pressure Test. And because its full of so many moving parts, I'd almost never endeavour to make at home. I would file this dish right under Pavlova and Macaron in the list of things I'd rather leave to professional chefs. Which is why this dish is put together by Shrey.
Serves 1:
For the Hollandaise:
2 egg yolks
1tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
1/2cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Eggs Benedict:
2 rashes of bacon or ham
1 English muffin cut in half. I used a bagel instead. You can really use any type of bread
2 tsp white vinegar
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Hollandaise sauce
Parsley to garnish (optional)
Make the hollandaise sauce first:
Melt the butter in the microwave. In a bowl, beat together the rest of the ingredients. Next combine the melted butter with the eggs slowly and a little at a time (you'll probably need a little help at this stage). If you add the whole batch of melted butter, the eggs will curdle and you'll end up with a chunky sauce. Instead, slowly drizzle the melted butter in a thin stream, whisking the eggs the entire time. This technique is emulsification. You are looking for a smooth creamy sauce probably as thick as mayonnaise.
Cut the bagel in half and toast. Crisp up some bacon or ham in an oven or in a hot pan.
To poach eggs:
Half fill a non stick skillet with water. Add the vinegar and bring to a simmer. Break the eggs into two separate ramekins or bowls, taking care to not break the yolks. Gently tilt the bowl and let the egg slide out into the water. Repeat with the other egg as well. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer
Cook for 2-3mins or until the egg white has set and the yolk remains soft. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Note: The vinegar is used to help coagulate the egg and helps it set faster. If you are tasting vinegar in the egg, then you've added too much
To assemble:
Lay the bacon slice on top of the bottom half of the bagel. I skipped using the meat completely as this dish is already pretty heavy. Gently place the poached eggs on top of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the hollandaise sauce over the eggs. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top and enjoy!
Tip: Instead of hand whisking the hollandaise, put it in the blender.
To the eggs benedict hesitant: you can do it! The key is to prep everything before you start. Do your bacon in the oven, eggs on the stove, bread in the toaster and hollandaise in the blender. It's like conducting an orchestra, so many parts which come together so deliciously, its like music to your ears.
P.S: I like my eggs scrambled but I'm warming up to eggs benedict
