Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce

Eggs Benedict with Hollandiase....just that phrase used to paralyze me. It sounded soooo French, so impossible to make, so far from my culinary skills. Until I realized it was kind of like hot aioli.

Eureka! Not as hard as I thought!

My beau loves the bennies with hollandaise and although I cannot stomach (literally) poached eggs that didn't mean I couldn't attempt his favorite brunch meal at home. Yes, it takes time and patience, but he was so excited and impressed with the result that it was totally worth it.

You can serve bennies on toast, a warm croissant or go one step further like I did here and make biscuits (which I ate as well, so yummy!!).

If you don't have a poaching pan (the little metal insert with the reverse scooped out molds for the poached eggs), fear not. You can make it in simmering water and they come out just as tasty, if a little more rustic in nature. But smothered under all that Hollandaise, who's noticing!

Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce
(single serving)

2 eggs
pot of boiling water

hollandaise sauce
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons butter melted
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cold water
tiny pinch of cayenne
minced parsley for garnish

Create a double boiler by placing metal bowl in a pot with simmering water; do not let the bowl touch the water. Whisk the egg yolk with the water until it becomes frothy and place in the double boiler. Make sure melted butter is not super hot; that will cook the egg yolk too quickly which you want to avoid. Slowly add melted butter, a few drops at a time and whisk in the butter vigorously. You want to avoid the egg overcooking, so remove it from the double boiler pot often as you're whisking. But you also don't want to add the melted butter too fast since that will keep the sauce from emulsifying. It is better to add butter with the bowl off the heat part of the time to ensure the sauce emulsifies; once all the butter is incorporated, you can warm up the sauce over the double boiler which helps thicken it (since it cooks the egg just slightly).

Add lemon juice and cayenne to taste and set the sauce on the hot stovetop to stay warm; you may have to rewhisk it before serving.

To poach eggs, bring 3 inches of water to boil; lower to medium low. Use a spoon to swirl the water into a whirlpool and carefully crack egg into the whirlpool, dropping the white in first and then the yolk; this keeps white from becoming too feathery. The egg will slow the simmering of the water, so adjust the heat up just a little. For the second egg, try to create the swirl on the other side of the pot and crack in the second egg. Cook 4-5 minutes for soft poached eggs and 9-11 minutes for medium. The eggs will continue to cook even when removed from water so keep it in mind for your desired firmness of the yolk.

Place poached eggs on top of your toast/biscuit/croissant and spoon Hollandaise over the top. It should slouch across the egg but not really run off. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Hugs!