8 Poached Eggs
4 English Muffins, Toasted
8 Slices Cooked Ham
Ingredients for Hollandaise Sauce:
3 Egg Yolks
3/4 cup Butter
1/2 tsp. Lemon Juice
A Pinch of Salt
A Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Freshly Chopped Parsley for Garnish (optional)
Instructions:
The best method to prepare your Hollandaise Sauce is to whip the egg
yolks in a stainless
steel bowl over steam. A double boiler is a necessity for making a good
sauce from scratch.
Gradually add pre-melted butter, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Continue to stir
and check occasionally to make sure the ingredients aren't separating.
You may elect to prepare the Hollandaise Sauce in a saucepan over
medium heat, but
you'll need another set of hands to keep stirring the sauce constantly,
while you prepare
the Eggs Benedict.
Fry the sliced, cooked ham in butter for several minutes on each side
in a skillet over
medium heat, then place a slice of warm ham on both halves of your
toasted English
muffins.
Meanwhile, poach the eggs in simmering water in a large, deep skillet.
You'll want to
select the proper skillet or saucepan that permits room for about 3 or
4 inches of water.
Bring the water just to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir the
simmering water to make it
swirl. Take two eggs that you have already cracked into a bowl and slip
the eggs into the
simmering water in the middle of the swirl, so the eggs follow the same
direction as the water.
Reduce the heat to low and poach the eggs for 3 to 5 minutes, until
you've attained the
desired degree of doneness.
Remove the poached eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place
an egg on top of
each ham slice. Repeat the process for the remaining portions.
To serve, cover the eggs with Hollandaise Sauce and sprinkle with
chopped parsley, if
desired.
Tips from the Galley: Because the preparation of this recipe is
labor-intensive, you may
want to prepare your Hollandaise Sauce in advance and re-heat it in the
microwave or a
saucepan just prior to serving. If you are preparing this recipe for
four, you may want to
slowly toast the English muffins in a warm 250-F degree oven as you
prepare them. In
that way, you can serve all four breakfasts at the same time and have
them all warm and
delectable.
