Good Eats: Little Big Lunch - Eggs Benedict

We celebrated being married for 5 years with a shit ton of sushi.  It was our best sushi order yet. Every texture and taste achieved. It was the perfect way to polish off a fantastic eating day.

We started out the day with Alton Brown's Eggs Benedicts. And we almost ended the day right then because it wasn't going to get any better than this.  Did you know hollandaise sauce is a ton of butter with a little egg yolk?  If I could bathe in it, I would and my skin would never stop thanking me.

Alton has a method for serving a couple of people versus serving a lot.  We went with "couple method" since it was only for us and we had two people on cooking duty (thanks to bubble guppies).

Eggs Benedict Hollandaise sauce
Enough hollandaise sauce for 8 servings

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne, divided
• 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
• 8 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces (2 sticks)
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Whisk together yolks, water, salt and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne in a small pot.

Put pot over low heat and whisk vigorously moving the pot on and off the heat every 10 seconds until the mixture is 140 degrees F (about 3 minutes).

Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, every 30 seconds, while whisking and moving the pot on and off the heat.  Maintain a temperature of 120 - 130 degrees F.

After 8 pieces of butter, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. 

Then keep added the butter as before. After all the butter has been added add the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, and sugar. Whisk for 1-2 minutes.

Taste and add more lemon juice as desired.  Move to a thermos to hold up to 2 hour. Reheat over low heat for 45 seconds.

Eggs Benedict Poached Eggs

Makes 8 servings

• 4 quarts water
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 large eggs

Put 4 custard cups in a large pot. Add 4 quarts of water or enough to cover the cups by at least 1/4 inch.  Add vinegar and salt to water.

Put the stove on high heat. Heat just until the water begins to boil and the cups clatter on the bottom of the pan.  Adjust the heat to maintain a water temp of 205 degrees F. 

Break the eggs one at a time into a ladle.  Pour the eggs slowly into each of the cups, 10 seconds apart. Cook for 5 minutes each then remove at the same 10 second intervals. 

If serving later, transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking.  Refrigerate for up to 6 hours in the ice bath.  To reheat bring water to a simmer, turn off heat, add eggs for 1 to 2 minutes.

Eggs Benedict

Makes 8 servings

• English Muffins
• Poached Eggs
• Hollandaise Sauce
• 8 slices of Canadian Bacon, julienned (we forgot this part and regret it)

Saute the julienned canadian bacon over medium heat. Cook and stir frequently, until heated through and beginning to turn lightly brown (about 5 minutes).  Turn off heat but leave in pan to keep warm.

For each serving, put 2 dollops of hollandaise on a plate, 1/2 of an english muffin on each dollop, then canadian bacon, poached egg, and a drizzle of hollandaise sauce. Repeat times 8 and serve immediately.  Eat and fall into a food coma.