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Bringing Back Bennie

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mushroom spinach benedict with cilantro dill tatoes What do you do when you have tons of eggs and butter? Well, one option is eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce (which requires 7 eggs and 2 sticks of butter). Yum.

I can't tell you how many times I've tried different hollandaise recipes at home and come up short... mine either don't taste right or separate (it is an emulsion, after all). I finally found a recipe that rocks. (pictured with perftatoes 2.0)

Poached Eggs and Hollandaise

Ingredients (serves two):

  • Toast:
    • 4 slices of good bread (~3/4" thick)
    • pat or two of salted butter
  • Hollandaise:
    • 8 oz of unsalted butter (two big sticks)
    • 3 large egg yolks
    • 2 tbsp hot water
    • 2 tsp lemon juice (you can go as high as 3 tsp, but I find that a bit too lemony)
    • pinch salt
    • pinch cayenne pepper
  • Eggs:
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp white vinegar
    • 4 large eggs, each cracked into a small condiment cup
    • salt and black pepper

Directions:

  1. Turn your oven's broiler on. Lightly butter one side of bread slices and place on foiled cookie sheet under broiler. Toast until just golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from broiler and set aside. (If you're making potatoes, you should make this toast before you start roasting the potatoes.)

  2. In saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Remove from heat.

  3. Fill 8" to 10" skillet with water to about 1/2" from the top; add vinegar and tsp. salt and bring to boil over high heat.

  4. In a small bowl, add egg yolks and whisk together until well incorporated. While whisking, add lemon juice, salt and cayenne.

  5. Very slowly add butter and two tbsp. of water to egg mixture. Continue to whisk constantly. Add mixture back to saucepan and place on low heat. Whisk gently occasionally until it thickens, then be careful that it doesn't get too hot (or it will curdle or separate).

  6. When you get a chance for a short breather while making the hollandaise, ask a friend to come over and help you drop the four eggs into the boiling water. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 3-5 minutes depending on how done you want the eggs.

  7. If you're adding cheese or bacon or spinach and mushrooms to your benedict, you should add that to the toast now and melt any cheese in the broiler.

  8. Place two toasts on a plate. Remove eggs from water with slotted spoon, drain over water and place on toast. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add any side dish like potatoes. Spoon hollandaise over eggs in an amount according to diner's taste. Crack pepper over it all and serve.