How to make Eggs Benedict plus some Good Ideas

Before getting into the eggs benedict here’s a little background to brunch.

The word and the meal originated in England in the late 1800s, when a chap called Guy Beringer wrote an article titled “Brunch: A Plea” 

In this article he argued that …

“By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday,
brunch would make life brighter for
Saturday night carousers.”

And many more things and he was so right. Brunch was also adopted enthusiastically by America in the 1930s.

I am something of a brunchologist having been the chef at Tortola’s premier brunch location, The Tamarind Club, for many years under several owners. I even partake of brunch there now when I visit – everyone does and I am flattered (and a bit irritated!) that much of my menu is still in use!

We are now in the midst of National Breakfast Week and I posted some breakfast ideas here. Brunch is a bit more substantial than breakfast but I think it still counts.

The brunch menu comprised two basic sections, the second page was pretty well normal lunch dishes; about 20 choices such as… 

Creamy Seafood Chowder with HOT and POTENT Pepper Wine

Roasted Garlic Hummus, Black Olive Salad and Crisp Seeded Pita 

Salad of Blue Cheese & Sugar Spiced Walnuts with pear vinaigrette

The first page was more inclined towards breakfast dishes such as French toast, enormous 3 egg omelettes including the Omelette du Jour, fried breakfast and Eggs Benedict in several version. Here is the actual Benedict section from my final year as chef working there, even if the menu is similar probably the prices are not as it was some while ago.

It is Eggs Benedict I wish to have speaks about now.  We served approx. 150 lunches per Sunday, it was not a buffet, the menu was long, it was all cooked fresh to order and about a third of the orders were some form of Eggs Benedict. 

Luckily amongst the brilliant girls cooking with me in the kitchen was my friend Kathy who was always egg lady for Sunday brunch.  

Despite the frenzy of the kitchen Kathy used to keep an open book beside her in case she got bored and also, in her spare time, she would often dance a little to the live music playing in the restaurant – it was an open kitchen. She’s very talented! 

Eggs Benedict – ideas, recipes, guidelines

Even though National Breakfast Week will be finished by Sunday I think you can still try these ideas for brunch.

The cruxes of the matter are poached eggs, Hollandaise Sauce and English Muffins and the traditional dish also contains Canadian bacon – see below.

It does occur to me that as odd that a dish containing an English bread, a French sauce named after Holland and Canadian meat is considered traditionally American!

How to Poach Eggs

~   In a small saucepan bring about 8cm/3” lightly salted water to the boil.
~   When the water is at a rolling boil, crack the eggs and gently pour the contents into the water (if you are nervous break the eggs individually into cups and then pour into the water).
~   As soon as the thick fresh white forms a ball around the yolk turn down the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes depending on their size by which time the white will be firm and the yolks will be runny.
~   Scoop out carefully with a holey spoon and hover over the water a few seconds to drain and dry a little before serving.

3 points …

1.   There is no need for vinegar in the water if the eggs are truly fresh which they should be.
2.   There is also no need for those little cups to cook eggs in or above water. This actually steams the eggs; there’s nothing wrong with them – they’re just not poached!
3.   If you wish to cook the eggs in advance and serve later (which is very useful if cooking for a crowd) then submerge them in cold water as soon as they are cooked and leave them there until needed. Reheat briefly just 20 seconds or so, in simmering water.

Easy Hollandaise Sauce

225g butter
3 egg yolks
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
pinch salt and pepper

~   Gently melt the butter over low heat then turn up the heat bring just to a boil.
~   Set it aside for about 10 minutes during which time the solids will sink to the bottom of the pan.
~   Carefully spoon the skin off from the top of the butter.
~   Put the rest of the ingredients in a liquidiser, processor or bowl with a whisk.
~   Whilst liquidising, processing or whisking pour the butter into the eggs in a slow stream being very careful to leave back all the solids. 
~   Taste and season.

Use immediately if possible.  Here’s a handy hint ~

~   Gently melt the butter over low heat then turn up the heat bring just to a boil.
~   Set it aside for about 10 minutes during which time the solids will sink to the bottom of the pan.
~   Carefully spoon the skin off from the top of the butter.
~   Put the rest of the ingredients in a liquidiser, processor or bowl with a whisk.
~   Whilst liquidising, processing or whisking pour the butter into the eggs in a slow stream being very careful to leave back all the solids. 
~   Taste and season.

English Muffins

If you are English these are just called “muffins” but be sure to use the old fashioned flat yeasted bread muffins and not the little sweet cupcakes or things will go sadly wrong! Other breads work well too, toasted ciabatta is good. These are the English muffins I used for brunch.

Canadian Bacon

This is not bacon as we know it, Jim, or, in fact, as Canadians know it; they call normal bacon “bacon”! Canadian bacon, if you are lucky, is a fully cooked, cured pork loin, thickly cut. So to save confusion let’s just say that bacon in any form, or ham, works very well in Eggs Benedict.

Some Great Egg Benedict Variations …

~   Smoked salmon – this is commonly known as Eggs Royale but we called it Eggs Norwegian.
~   Spinach – Eggs Florentine.
~   Fresh crab or a crabcake is good – this is sometimes known a Eggs Neptune.
~   Steak is excellent especially if you add a little minced shallot to the lemon juice for a few minutes before making the sauce and then stir in a little chopped tarragon at the end to turn the Hollandaise into Sauce Bearnaise.
~ Haggis with a touch of whisky in the Hollandaise Sauce.
~   Asparagus briefly roasted with some Parma ham till the asparagus is al dente and ham crunchy. Ooh lovely.
~ Leftover Stew is great used up in a Benedict!
~ A personal favourite is a little crisply fried chorizo under the poached egg and a touch of chipotle paste added to the hollandaise. 
~ Maybe a burger under the egg is you have a large appetite. 
~ At my family’s restaurant on Mersea Island, The Art Cafe, they add samphire when it is in season and I don’t blame them – lovely

As you can see Eggs Benedict does lend itsels to alll sorts of variations so you can makeit however you fancy. Let me know if you have any good ideas.

Oh, and see here for important information on how to store eggs and some more good ways to cook them plus a stupid one!

A Couple of Brunch Beverages

One good thing about brunch is that that it’s often preceded by an alcoholic beverage, in fact Guy Beringer (above) even suggested this as a good way to start the meal!  

In the islands rum is fairly cheap, cheaper than mixers in many cases so beware.  Where I worked there was a drink called “Um” which was not only neat rum but was also free!  If the bartender asked someone what they’d like and they went “um …” that’s what they got.

Anyhoo, back to brunch which was preceded by a complimentary breakfast cocktail either a Passionfruit Mimosa or a Bloody Caesar which sounds yuk but is utterly yum.

Passionfruit Mimosa

This is just a passion fruit juice version of a normal Mimosa or Buck’s Fizz as it is known here in the UK.  Half fill champagne glasses with chilled passion fruit juice and top up with chilled Champagne or similar.

Bloody Caesar 

Per person …

30ml vodka
1 or dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 or 2 dashes of Tabasco or other hot sauce
a little salt and pepper
120ml Clamato juice
1 stick celery

~   Rub the rim of a tall glass with a cut lime and then dip it into crunchy sea salt with perhaps a little coarse black pepper too.
~   Fill the glass with ice and then add all the ingredients and stir.
~   Garnish with a pretty stick of celery.

The Clamato juice is the scary bit as it is a mixture of tomato and clam juice but trust me, it works.

Please Click to Tweet, to coin a phrase!

Cheers!
and Happy Brunching (or Blunching)!

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