Sunday, January 2, 2011

Eggs Benedict

Happy New Year!

We just came back from a wonderful trip to Jamaica for the holidays. The weather was great, the food was delicious, and we had the most relaxing week. We stayed at a villa with a cook, so we got to try some home-cooked Jamaican dishes like ackee and saltfish, callaloo, and our new favourite, curry goat.

Now that we're home, and I have a few days off before school starts again, I'm cooking - what else? This morning, I made eggs benedict (doesn't exactly sound like I'm taking time off work though, does it?).


Basically, I toasted the English muffin and then buttered it. Sliced some peameal back bacon and warmed them up in a pan with a bit of oil. Poached the eggs in simmering water with some white wine vinegar for four minutes. Boiled the potatoes last night so I could just dice them and pan fry them in butter and salt and pepper this morning. And then made the hollandaise (recipe posted below). It was pretty easy to make, but it's very a-la-minute. And so rich.

Hollandaise Sauce
Yield: 500mL (4 or 5 servings)
Print recipe

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
pinch of white pepper
1 small shallot, minced
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp water
1/2 cup clarified butter
lemon juice, to taste
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
tabasco sauce, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
  1. Combine the vinegars, bay leaf, white pepper, and shallot in a small sauce pan.

  2. Reduce the mixture by half. Strain and cool.

  3. Combine the vinegar reduction with the egg yolks and water in a stainless steel bowl.

  4. Over a bain-marie, whisk the mixture until it is the texture of half-whipped cream.

  5. Remove the bowl from the heat and stream in the hot clarified butter while continuing to whisk.

  6. Season to taste with lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, and salt and pepper.

  7. Because of the threat of bacterial contamination, prepare the sauce as close to service as possible.

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