First time I had the Eggs Benedict I loved it so much that I had to make a note of its name — as it was the first time I heard of it — and look for its recipe as soon as I came home. When the lady who was going to serve these learned that I do not eat bacon, which I assume what is put on the muffins usually, she suggested making with smoked salmon. Since then I also had it with shrimp, but it is not as good. The best recipe I found so far is out of the “New Cook Book” of the “Better Homes and Gardens” which I think is an essential cookbook for every household.

To read the history of this recipe, please visit http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/EggBenedictHistory.htm.
It is quite a treat to have these for special breakfasts. Even though the recipe seems quite involved, it does not take too much time to put them together; just be ready to move fast!

Unfortunately I can not make this as often as I would have liked to; my conscious stops me. With the egg quantity inside, I am sure our cholesterol level goes up a bit. With that in mind, let’s cut it short and get to the recipe:

What you need:
(for 2 people)

1. 2 eggs
2. 1 recipe Hollandaise Sauce (recipe follows)
3. 2 English muffins
4. 2 - 4 slices of smoked salmon
5. paprika, parsely springs to decorate

How it is made:

1. Lightly grease a small pan, put water in it and bring to boil. Crack one of the eggs into a measuring bowl and carefuly slide the egg into the boiling water making sure not to break it
2. Add the other egg to the pot in the same fashion
3. Simmer the eggs for 3 - 5 mins (this will set the whites and yolks will be thickened.) Remove them from water using a slotted spoon and place them in warm water until you prepare the sauce
4. Toast the muffins. Place the eggs, smoked salmon and Hollandaise sauce and top them off with the other half of the muffin. Sprinkle some paprika and serve with parsely sprigs

I made both “muffin + eggs + sauce + salmon + muffin” and “muffin + salmon + eggs + sauce + muffin” variations. Makes no difference, all taste good!

Hollandaise Sauce:
This sauce can also be served with cooked vegetables, poultry and fish.

1. 1/2 cup butter
2. 3 beaten egg yolks
3. 1 Tbs water
4. 1 Tbs lemon juice
5. dash of salt and pepper

Steps:

1. Cut the butter into 3 and bring it to room temperature
2. In the top of the double boiler, combine egg yolks, water, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add a piece of butter and place over the boiling water (making sure the top does not touch the boiling water), cook, stirring rapidly using a whisk until butter melts. Sauce will thicken a bit. Add the remaininb butter, one piece at a time, and whisk as before. Thicken the sauce by cooking 2 more minutes and remove from heat. If you think sauce is too thick, add 1 - 2 Tbs of hot water and whisk again

Bon Apetit!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 27th, 2005 at 11:09 pm and is filed under Breakfast, Uncategorized. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.