Eggs Benedict

Oh wow. Ohhhh wow. These were so yummy. Matt and I were talking before we got off work, trying to plan our dinner, as usual, and I reminded him we had a whole pack of a dozen eggs at home, so we decided that we should do something egg related. I really wasn't feeling the traditional fried eggs, scrambled eggs, or omlet, but I'd fixed a poached egg a few nights ago and thought that it'd be good again. There's a back story to the poached egg for me. It means a lot to me, and had a big role in my life. I remember many nights from age 8 through whenever (probably even college age) that I would be "hungry" before bed. My dad, when I was a kid, would usually suggest a milkshake. Once I got a little older, he started making me a poached egg. I'll never forget going to our old "country" restaurant in Somerville and being asked 'how would you like your eggs?'....I'd love to have a video of the waitress's face when the ten year old responded "poached, please." I got a weird look, but I got that poached egg....pale comparison to my dad's midnight eggs, but I didn't complain.
Anyway, I've always loved them...they have that 'true egg' taste without the fried after taste. To me, they're as clean and real as you can get for a cooked egg.
So, while pondering what to make for dinner, and after deciding the theme was eggs, I recommended eggs benedict. I sent Matt the ingredients we'd need, and we were set.
It was actually a lot of fun. I was totally shocked at how hollandaise sauce is really like a vat of butter, but Matt made me feel better by explaining that after 'purifying' it, you get rid of a lot of the fat. Whatever, I still know how much butter I put in that, and I even cut back....by like HALF. I do love some butter, but when it calls for 1 and 1/3 cups, and I realize how many sticks that is, it gets tough to melt it down...knowing it's split between two.
On that note, let me tell you that Matt and I ate 3 eggs each. Yes, he told me I probably shouldn't mention that, so I joked that I'd say we had some friends over, but I have to be honest, we totally ate 3 eggs benedict's each, and they were AWESOME.
I got the recipe from the Food Network. Here it is! I'm going to warn you....it's VERY  long, and I got frustrated with the hollandaise part, but it truly doesn't take long, and you can't mess it up too much!

EGGS BENEDICT

Ingredients

• Water
• 1/2 cup distilled vinegar, divided
• 12 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 12 slices Canadian bacon
• 6 plain English muffins, split
• HOLLANDAISE SAUCE, recipe follows
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives or finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves                                                                                                      Whisking the yolk and butter,
•                                                                                                                                            thanks Matt!

Directions

Pour enough water into 2 large skillets to reach a depth of about 3 inches, and divide the vinegar between them. Bring both skillets to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Crack an egg into a cup and carefully slide it into the hot poaching liquid. Quickly repeat with all the eggs. Poach the eggs, turning them occasionally with a spoon, until the whites are firm, or to the desired degree of doneness, about 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs and transfer to a kitchen towel. Lightly dab the eggs with the towel to    remove any excess water.                                                                                                      Yum Canadian bacon.

While the eggs are poaching, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the Canadian bacon and cook until heated through, about a minute on each side.

To serve, toast the English muffin halves and divide them among 6 warmed plates. Top each half with a slice of Canadian bacon, and set an egg on top. Spoon the hollandaise sauce over the eggs and garnish with the chives. Serve immediately.                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                

                                                                                                         The hollandaise in the hot water bath.

• Hollandaise Sauce
• 1 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon strained freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground white pepper or a pinch of cayenne pepper

                                                                                                                                   POACHING......

In a medium pan, completely melt the butter over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and set it aside for 5 minutes. Skim and discard the white foam that rises to the surface of the butter. Carefully ladle or pour the clear golden butter into a container with a pouring spout. Take care not to add the milky solids and watery liquid at the bottom of the saucepan. Set the butter aside in a warm spot.

Pour enough water into a medium saucepan to reach a depth of about 2 inches. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

                                                                                                                                         TOASTING....

In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the egg yolks and the cold water. Whisk until the yolks are light and frothy. Place the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly and vigorously until the yolks are thickened and light, about 3 to 4 minutes. (If the eggs begin to scramble, or the mixture is cooking very quickly or gets too hot, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk to cool). Remove the eggs from the heat and whisk for 30 seconds to cool slightly.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and set the bowl over the hot water. Slowly drizzle the butter into the eggs while whisking constantly. Whisk in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper, to taste. (If the sauce is very thick, add a few drops of warm water to adjust the consistency so it is creamy and light.) Serve immediately or keep the hollandaise sauce in a small bowl set over warm, but not hot water, for about 30 minutes or in a warmed thermos for about an hour.

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

PLEASE try this...you will love it! I was obsessed, and Matt and I did not say a word to each other once we started eating:) yum to the tum. 

Matt decided to decorate with the hollandaise sauce. I thought it looked good!

Yay! Ready to eat! Those 'chives' made a great difference

Side note: if you'd rather have 'chivey' flavor, then cut the green onions much thinner...we had a very strong onion taste, which I loved, but I think a 'flavor' of onion would have been good if you don't like strong onion flavor, so I'd slice them really thin. Also, we didn't use lemon juice, cayenne pepper, half of the butter, or the vinegar. It still turned out great.

Have fun!