Eggs Benedict

Christmas is just round the corner and we are all busy preparing for and planning our Christmas menu. This is the busiest time of the year, and a few days to Christmas, everything is havoc.

So I chose to prepare this simple yet elegant breakfast for my kids today - Eggs Benedict. Traditionally poached eggs are served on toasted English muffins with slices of ham and topped with a generous helping of hollandaise sauce. But nowadays, restaurants have resorted to also adding wilted spinach to this (usually Eggs Florentine is served the same way as Eggs Benedict but replaces ham with spinach), which adds a vegetable component to the dish. It is a very rich breakfast and should be reserved for special occasions.

Though this is a very simple dish to prepare, there is a small challenge in preparing the hollandaise sauce which requires great attention to the heat and egg yolks, so that they do not curdle.

Makes: 2 serves
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 8 slices of champagne leg ham
• 2 wholemeal English muffins
•  4 handfuls baby spinach, 1 handful for each muffin half (see below)
• 50g salted butter
• 2 tsp chives, chopped
• freshly crushed pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp vinegar

For Hollandaise Sauce

• 150g unsalted butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 2 tbsp cold butter
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Method
Hollandaise Sauce
1. Melt butter over medium heat and keep aside. In a heat proof (which can be used for double boiler) bowl whisk egg yolks until thick.  Add water, lemon juice and salt and beat for another minute. Add 1 tbsp of cold butter to the beaten egg yolks. Place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water and whisk constantly. The egg yolks will turn creamy. Make sure the egg yolks do not cook and form lumps. Remove bowl from the simmering saucepan and add the remaining tbsp of cold butter and continue to whisk until well incorporated. Now gently pour melted butter over the egg yolk mixture whisking constantly. Do not use the solid residue that is left behind. Hollandaise Sauce is ready and should be served warm.
Recipe Source: French Basketeer

 Eggs Benedict
1. Blanch spinach and keep aside. Warm ham slices in a pan, 30 seconds on each side and keep aside.
2. Cut muffins into horizontal halves and apply butter. Toast muffins in a pan until slightly brown.
3. Fill a wide flat bottom pan with water 8 cm deep. Add vinegar. Bring it to boil and then reduce heat so that water is gently simmering. Crack eggs, one at a time, into a bowl and slide into the centre of pan. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes for a runny yolk. Using a slotted spoon, remove egg from pan.
4. While eggs are cooking place muffin halves on serving plate and top with quarter of the blanched spinach and 2 slices of ham over each muffin half. When egg is done, keep this over the ham slices and top with warm hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle with chives and pepper and serve hot.