Eggs Benedict

Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share a recipe for Eggs Benedict - it's a great way to make a tasty brunch for your someones special.  Or even just yourself!

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 8 pieces of Canadian bacon
• 4 English muffins
• Hollandaise sauce
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• Dash of Tabasco
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Salt and pepper to taste

Break the English muffins in half and lightly toast each half.  Heat up the Canadian bacon in the microwave for 1 minute.

Poach the eggs in simmering water on medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until cooked.  We use poach pods which makes poaching eggs easy and keeps the egg from feathering in the water.  I really recommend these - they make it so much easier to do!  If you use them, lightly coat the pods with cooking spray before putting the eggs in them.

When you're done, you have perfectly poached eggs!

To make the Hollandaise sauce, I used the blender method in James Beard's Theory and Practice of Good Cooking.

Combine the egg yolks, salt, Tabasco, and lemon juice in a blender and blend on the high setting, just enough to blend the mixture.  

Heat the butter until it is bubbling, but not to the point it is browned.  Remove the insert from the lid of the blender, turn the blender on high and pour the hot butter in a thin, continuous stream.  When the butter is absorbed and the sauce thick, turn off the blender.   If you need to thin the hollandaise, add 1 tablespoon hot water into the sauce while the blender is running.

Assemble the Eggs Benedict by putting one slice of Canadian bacon on an English muffin half, then put the poached egg on top of the bacon.  If you used poach pods to poach the eggs, turn the poach pod upside down over the Canadian bacon and gently push on the bottom - the egg should slide right out.

Pour the hollandaise over the eggs and salt and pepper the eggs to taste.

Eggs Benedict makes a tasty brunch or a delicious breakfast-for-dinner dish.

Are you planning on cooking anything special tomorrow for Valentine's Day?