Last week you were served up scrumptious oven-fresh Viennese breakfast rolls; this week, we have the perfect breakfast topping with which to embellish those rolls.
Eggs Benedict is a very classy cholesterol-rich brunch treat dating back to the middle of the 19th century. The original recipe appears in the cookbook of Charles Ranhofer, the owner at the time of the Delmonico’s restaurant in Lower Manhattan. The dish was apparently created for a regular customer, a Mrs Benedict, who had become bored with the regular menu and was wanting something new and exciting.
The traditional dish of eggs Benedict comprises an English muffin or bread roll topped with bacon and a poached egg, then drowned in Hollandaise sauce. The kosher version reluctantly leaves the bacon out of the mix.
It is hard to find more cholesterol than this in any plated dish, but nevertheless the Hollandaise sauce is masterfully tasty and a rich, smooth sauce to serve with fish, vegetables or eggs. It is not difficult to make and well worth the effort.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- Two fresh bread rolls (as per my previous post), bagels or English muffins cut in half and lightly toasted.
For the poached eggs: (I am not going to describe how to poach an egg!)
- 2.5 litres of water in a medium-sized pot, brought to a simmer
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp white-wine vinegar
- 4 eggs
For the Hollandaise sauce:
- 125 g butter
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ tsp white-wine vinegar
- Juice of half a lemon
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Dash of cold water
Method
Place a pot with an inch of water on the stove to heat. Melt the butter in a frypan on a low heat. While the butter is melting, place all other sauce ingredients into a bowl and using a whisk mix it all together. Place on the pot of water and keep whisking until the sauce thickens and goes pale in colour. Once the butter melts, remove the bowl from the water and turn the heat off. Add the melted butter a little at a time while continuously whisking. Once all the butter has been added, the sauce should be silky smooth in appearance and thick in texture. To keep the Hollandaise sauce warm while poaching the eggs and toasting the buns, place the bowl back on the pot of water.
If you enjoyed this recipe why not share it with your friends via social media or e-mail? If you want a copy of your own select the print option at the top of the page.