EGGS BENEDICT ARNOLD
If your great umbrage would care to meet my high dudgeon at twelve paces,
I would be happy to entertain you at dawn. ~Benedict Anold (1741 – 1801)
STANDARD EGGS BENEDICT
Not so much a preparation, or recipe, as a construction, eggs Benedict are no less than magnificent a perennial breakfast and brunch staple. Indeed, why not have it for a light dinner? The simple steps are to poach an egg, put on top of a slice of ham on top of a toasted English muffin, and top with Hollandaise sauce. Simple. Except for the sauce, which is not so much difficult as just a little temperamental.
I elaborated on the nuances of making a successful Hollandaise Sauce yesterday. Heat is the principal element with which one must be concerned when making Hollandaise, as too much heat or heat applied too fast will quickly ruin the whole shebang.
The best advice for serving Eggs Benedict is to be sure that the eggs are hot. If you’re poaching eggs in a saucepan-type egg poacher, it can double as a ham-heater as well unless you’re using all of your egg cups. Simply place slices of ham on top of the egg cup holder – with all of the cups in place – and it will steam along with the eggs.
- Heat the water in the egg poacher; put ham slices on the egg poacher tray to heat.
- Make the Hollandaise sauce, cover and let sit over the hot water in the double boiler.
- Crack the eggs into the poacher cups, and toast the English muffins.
- Plate, in reverse order:Â muffin, ham slice, poached egg, Hollandaise.
- Serve immediately.
- Serve with Pan-Fried Potatoes, and you have a world-class meal suitable for a lazy weekend morning. If making the potatoes, however, make them first and keep heated in a low oven.
EGGS BENEDICT ARNOLD
If the above is just too much, I have a concoction for you. This will nudge your poached eggs towards the lemony side without actually having to make a sauce. This is for whipping up brunch in the quickest possible time, with no fanfare or extra pots to clean. So simple, a ten-year-old can execute in a snap.
To do this you absolutely need to know how long to poach your eggs because we’re going to add something on top of the eggs in the last half minute of their cooking and you won’t be able to see the eggs. Poached eggs usually take three minutes, but depending upon the tightness of the lid on the poacher, this could vary. So if your eggs take three-and-a-half minutes, poach them for three minutes. Then add the following to each egg cup, right on top of the egg:
Two teaspoons of Greek yogurt and half a teaspoon of butter creamed together. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and mix well.
The addition of the yogurt will slow down the cooking of the eggs. Continue poaching for thirty to forty-five seconds longer, just enough to heat the yogurt mixture, then invert the cups onto their ham slices on top of the muffin. You’ll have the faux Hollandaise under the egg but the lemony flavor will be there. You can also do this with plain poached eggs on toast; lemon is always a welcome variation to egg cookery.
If this is all too new age-y for you, see my preparation for Hollandaise Sauce. I prefer the proper version, but Eggs Benedict Arnold is a quick and easy alternative to brunching out. You don’t have to tell your guests what you’ve done; let them discover the subtle flavor addition all by themselves. Now that’s using your noggin’!
