The first time I ever made breakfast for Thomas I made Eggs Benedict. I think I acted like it was my specialty, but in actuality it was the first time I had ever made it and I just wanted to seem cool. I was nervous as hell lol. I mean dropping a raw egg into water hoping it comes out looking pretty and whipping eggs yolks into a glorious sauce is not a joke. From my recollection I think it turned out pretty darn good! And I impressed him which is always a bonus 😉
Traditional Eggs Benedict calls for Canadian bacon and an English muffin. But I prefer to keep it simple with crunchy asparagus, a runny poached egg, creamy hollandaise perched on a good piece of toast. It’s the PERFECT way to start a weekend morning or afternoon for that matter. We’ve even made this for dinner before! There’s nothing better than finding a sunny spot by the window, strong coffee in hand, and diving into a tasty breakfast like this one.
Asparagus & Poached Egg Toasts with Hollandaise
Hollandaise recipe is adapted from Tyler Florence
Ingredients
– 1 bunch of asparagus
– 4 large eggs (for poaching)
– a dash of vinegar for poaching the eggs
– 4 egg yolks (for hollandaise)
– 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
– pinch of salt
– Good piece of bread for toast! We love sourdough but anything will do.
– chives for garnishing
(Note- These recipes are always for two people, so if you’re feeding more just double accordingly)
what to do
1) If the asparagus are big stalks then I like to blanch them first. If they are small then you can just sauté them right away. To blanch the asparagus, trim the stalks before putting them into a pot of boiling salted water. Let them boil only 2-3 minutes before draining and placing in an ice bath. If you want to skip the ice bath that’s fine, and just put them straight in a hot skillet with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until they are slightly golden and then remove from heat.
2) To poach the eggs: Make sure your eggs are really fresh. Add a small dash of vinegar to a pot of steadily simmering water. Crack eggs individually into a ramekin or cup. Create a gentle whirlpool with a spoon in the water to help the egg white wrap around the yolk. Slowly tip the egg into the water. Leave to cook for three minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, cutting off any wispy edges using the edge of the spoon. Drain onto kitchen paper – nobody wants eggy poaching water making their toast soggy!
3) For the hollandaise: vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume.
4) Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble.
5) Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in salt.
6) Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.
7) Toast your bread and then place your asparagus, poached eggs, hollandaise on top, and garnish with snipped fresh chives.
Happy brunching friends 🙂
