04 Sep eggs benedict

Every time I have an eggs benedict, I think about the best Eggs Benedict that I’ve ever had. I was in my first year of varsity and my friend and I decided to spend one of our Saturday’s at the Neighbourgood’s market. After eating the same thing every time we went there, she suggested that I try something new. I walked around, very unimpressed because I just wanted my usual burger. Eventually, a cute old lady stopped me and asked if I wanted to try her Eggs Benedict, I politely refused and continued dragging my feet. After walking around the market about 3 times, she stopped me again and insisted I try it. She even offered me a free tester, so I obviously said yes. I couldn’t believe how amazing what I was tasting, was. The hollandaise sauce was so perfect, the poached egg made exactly how I liked it and the ciabatta was just the right kind of crispy. After this day, you would find me at the same stall on most Saturday’s – sometimes even in my sweats or pyjama’s (embarrassing, I know), gobbling up this amazing meal, to start off my weekend in the most perfect way.

It is now 5 years later and thankfully, we are past wearing pyjama’s in public and I can now pull of an almost perfect Eggs Benedict in the comfort of my own home. I was first really intimidated by the idea of making a poached egg AND hollandaise sauce from scratch, but they both turned out to be really easy to make and far from intimidating.

If you’ve never poached eggs before, I have a really easy way to make them. BUT if you’re still scared, I would recommend buying a poacher and starting there. With the hollandaise sauce, I would always suggest that you make it from scratch – it just tastes so much better that way. Although you can get store-bought packaged ones too.

I really love my Eggs Benedict on a toasted English Muffin, with smoked salmon and a runny egg. But you can also substitute the muffin for fresh ciabatta or the salmon with ham/bacon. If you’re trying to be a little bit healthier, then I would recommend that you have a roasted brown mushroom as a substitute for the bread.

So, this is my recipe for my kind of eggs benedict – I have given recipes for both poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

Eggs

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 English muffin halved

Smoked salmon (to your liking)

Chopped chives (for garnish)

Hollandaise sauce:

½ cup melted unsalted butter

4 egg yolks

½ tsp salt

Black pepper (as desired)

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Fill a small pan with water and bring to the boil. Add the vinegar and let it reduce to a simmer. Create a whirlpool in the water with a spoon. Crack the eggs into a bowl (one at a time) and gently tip into the whirlpool. Poach for about 2-3 minutes (or until the yolk is to your liking). Remove with a slotted spoon and let them rest on a paper towel.
2. For the hollandaise sauce, whisk the egg yolks and the lemon juice together in a steel bowl until it has thickened. Place the bowl over a saucepan or pot of simmering water (don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water) and continue to whisk rapidly. It is important not to let the yolks get too hot, otherwise they will scramble.
3. Slowly add in the melted butter and whisk until the mixture has thickened again and doubled in size. Remove from the heat then whisk in cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. Set aside until ready to serve.
4. To assemble: Lay your salmon (or meat of choice) on a toasted English Muffin, followed by your poached egg. Pour hollandaise over the eggs and garnish with chopped chives.

If you want, you can also add rocket or baby spinach before your salmon or bacon for extra flavour.