This morning, I woke up at a time some people would consider a little too late for ‘breakfast’. For some reason, in Western society, we’ve become accustomed to determining certain times of the day, in relation to what meal we’re having.
Besides that, I woke up and was really craving some Hollandaise sauce - its rich, creamy, silky texture, accompanied by the sweet, tangy boost of lemon juice. I’ve never made Hollandaise sauce - or eggs Benedict, for that matter - and I knew I had my work cut out for me; the sauce embodies cooking techniques I had no previous knowledge of. So, of course, I perused the Internet for some wise words on making the perfect Hollandaise to go with poached egg, bacon, and toast (I didn’t have any English muffins lying around).
I used free-run eggs, an organic lemon, organic unsalted butter, sea salt, and paprika. You’ll need a splash of water to help with the Hollandaise’s consistency. There’s also a hidden, secret ingredient that I used as personal preference. For some, this could be Tabasco hot sauce or some other form of spiciness, but I didn’t take the spicy route today. Specific measurements and quantities depend on how much Hollandaise you want. I ended up making enough for about three portions of eggs Benedict, which involved an egg, a quarter stick of butter, a teaspoon of paprika, a teaspoon of salt, and the juice of half a lemon.
As for kitchenware, a double-boiler is suggested; I don’t own one, so I just whisked my egg and ingredients in a small saucepan over a slightly bigger pot, filled with an inch of simmering water. Getting the sauce to thicken up and reach the right consistency takes a lot of patience and whisking; the butter should be melted prior to starting the sauce, and must be added gradually. In my case, I got the perfect Hollandaise after about 20 minutes of constantly stirring and adding butter.
This is just one of many videos out there on how to make it.
You’ll know you’re done with the whole ordeal, when your sauce looks a little something like this:
Set your Hollandaise aside, and grab the following ingredients to complete your eggs Benedict. You can use an English muffin or any type of thickly-sliced bread (i.e. sourdough). I went with gluten-free Chia Chia bread which I toasted briefly; I’m not sure if it actually turned into toast, but hey, it’s the kind of thing I’m given the “okay” to eat on the Paleo diet (and it tastes great!):
Next, fry up some bacon; traditionally, eggs Benny uses Canadian bacon, which is a thicker cut without the fat. However, I made mine crispy with nitrate-free bacon - just as thick, but it has some good ol’ fat to cook in.
After that, poach an egg; here’s a how-to video from one of my favourite, potty-mouthed chefs.
Finally, put everything together with your best impression of gourmet-chef finesse. I put mine together with a side of broccoli and some grapes, and ladled a heap of sauce on top.
Hallelujah, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed this mini tutorial and extra bit on getting to K.Y.I. (know your ingredients) for the popular breakfast/brunch dish, eggs Benedict with Hollandaise sauce.
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