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How do you decide when a vacation has begun? I had to work Friday so technically when I clocked out in the afternoon that was when my time off started but I also rarely work weekends so Saturday and Sunday I really didn’t feel like I was on vacation yet. Then this morning I had that strange experience of waking up and not being sure if it was Sunday or Monday. Now that I’ve had my morning coffee I can confirm it is Monday. I don’t have to report until early next year so I can definitely say I am on vacation and looking forward to Christmas. One of the nice things about having a holiday during a vacation is it helps me organize my time. And one of our Christmas Eve traditions is I make Eggs Benedict which, like most recipes, is largely dependent on timing.
This recipe serves three, or six people if you’re serving it with a side dish, or one person if they’re really hungry and are trying to send their cholesterol level off the charts.
You will need:
- About three billion eggs, or maybe only a dozen
- A pound of butter (or two eight ounce sticks) at room temperature
- Six tablespoons of lemon juice
- Three English muffins (which are neither English nor muffins)
- Canadian bacon (which is not technically Canadian and is also purely optional; some recipes substitute avocado slices, crabmeat, or nothing—go with whatever you like)
- Five or six kilos of a hard silvery-gray transition metal with the atomic number 24
First halve and toast the English muffins. Classic Eggs Benedict calls for a slice of ham on the English muffin halves, but for some that may be too much. Tasty alternatives include slices of avocado or smoked salmon or nothing or whatever you want.
Poach six eggs. If you have an egg poacher you can use that. I’ve also poached the eggs by adding water and a small amount of vinegar to a shallow pan, but that’s tricky because you have to keep the water just below boiling. Place an egg on each of the English muffin halves.
You can now set this aside in a warm oven.
The Hollandaise sauce is the hard part, but it comes together quickly. That’s why it’s hard, though it should stay soft enough to pour. This ain’t a recipe you can walk away from. First separate the yolks from the whites or, to be more accurate, from the clears. It’s okay to leave some of the clear with the yolks. Since this version of Hollandaise sauce is basically a savory lemon custard–yes, you’re serving eggs over eggs–some albumen will help it hold together.
Combine the egg yolks and the lemon juice in a pan over low heat.
Add half the butter. Stir slowly.
Once the butter is melted continue stirring for about a minute then add the second half of the butter. Stir vigorously. At this point the eggs will start to cook and the sauce will thicken. This is when you have to work fast. Just after the butter is completely melted the sauce is culinary nitroglycerine. It won’t blow up but it is seriously unstable. Get it off the heat and evenly distribute it over the English muffin halves and poached eggs.
For some color sprinkle on a little paprika or some parsley or both for a seasonal red and green effect. In fact this is a recipe and you should always go with what you like, so if you want to substitute actual muffins and Cadbury chocolate eggs don’t let anyone stop you.
Serve on hubcaps because there’s no plate like chrome for the Hollandaise.
Is that back bacon or ham that you used? Either way, it looks delicious. Merry Christmas!
mydangblog recently posted…It’s Secret For A Reason
It was back bacon, which is sold here as “Canadian bacon”. And it was delicious, thank you. With every passing year it also gets a little easier to make. It’s funny that even though I only make it once a year I’ve got it so memorized I can time the poached eggs and the Hollandaise to be ready simultaneously.
Tasty in so many ways, my friend. Michael loves hollandaise sauce and I’m guessing he would be impressed with yours.
ANN J KOPLOW recently posted…Day 4378: Let Them
Since Michael is a much better cook than I am I bet his hollandaise is better than mine. He may even know some of the alternative ways of making it that aren’t quite so fussy.