Honeymoon Eggs Benedict Food

EGGS BENEDICT

Steps:

• Fill a large saucepan with about 4 inches of water, add vinegar, and bring to a boil. Fill a shallow dish or pie plate with warm water. Reduce heat under saucepan to medium, so water is just barely simmering. Break 1 egg at a time into a small heat-proof bowl. Gently tip bowl into water; carefully slide egg into water. Repeat with remaining eggs.
• When eggs begin to become opaque, remove them from the saucepan with a slotted spoon in the order in which they were added. Transfer the eggs to the dish of warm water. This process should take about 3 minutes.
• Prepare the hollandaise sauce, and set aside, keeping it warm.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add Canadian bacon, and cook until well browned on both sides. Divide bacon among the English-muffin halves. For each serving, use a slotted spoon to remove one egg from warm water; set spoon and egg briefly on a clean cloth or paper towel to drain. Gently place the egg on a bacon-topped muffin, and spoon the reserved warm hollandaise sauce over the top.

HONEYMOON EGGS BENEDICT

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover pan and bring the water to a boil. Add asparagus, cover, and steam until just tender, 2 to 6 minutes depending on thickness.
• Fill a large saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, pour in the vinegar, and keep the water at a gentle simmer. Stir in salt until dissolved. Crack an egg into a small bowl and gently slip the egg into the simmering water, holding the bowl just above the surface of the water. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Poach the eggs until the whites are firm and the yolks have thickened but are not hard, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon, drain on plate lined with kitchen towels to remove excess water, then place onto a warm plate.
• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
• Arrange croissant halves on a baking sheet. Top each with 1 poached egg, 1 slice Canadian bacon, 3 spears asparagus, and 1/4 cup Asiago cheese.
• Broil in preheated oven until cheese is melted and beginning to crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Heat hollandaise sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbly and hot, about 5 minutes. Serve sauce poured over baked croissants.

EGGS BENEDICT

Steps:

• Combine the flour, nonfat dry milk, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low for 10 seconds using the paddle attachment.
• Put the water and shortening in microwavable container and heat to 120 to 130 degrees F, approximately 2 minutes. Stir until the shortening is thoroughly melted. Add the water mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until well combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl halfway through mixing, about 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator, uncover and mix on medium speed, using the paddle attachment, for 3 minutes.
• Position the 8 cans on a half sheet pan and generously spray the rings and pan with nonstick spray. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of oats in the bottom of each ring. Scoop the dough, with a 2-ounce ice cream scoop or disher, into the rings, dividing the dough evenly between the rings. Sprinkle each top with 1/2 teaspoon of oats. Cover with parchment and let sit in a warm place for 60 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Leave the parchment in place and set a second sheet pan on top. Bake for 20 minutes then remove the top half sheet pan. Continue to bake until the muffins reach an internal temperature of 210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, and are lightly browned, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the pan with the muffins still in the rings, to a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the perimeter of the ring to loosen. Cool completely before splitting with a fork. To serve, toast under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Put 4 (6-ounce) custard cups in a 6-quart deep, straight-sided saute pan or rondeau. Add 4 quarts of water or enough to cover the cups by at least 1/4-inch. Add the vinegar and salt to the water and put the pan over high heat. Heat just until the water begins to boil and the cups clatter against the bottom of the pan, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Adjust the heat to maintain a water temperature of 205 degrees F outside the cups. Break the eggs, 1 at a time, into another custard cup or ladle. Pour the eggs slowly into each of the cups, timing them about 10 seconds apart. Cook for 5 minutes each.
• Serve immediately or remove eggs from cups and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Refrigerate for up to 6 hours in the ice bath.
• To reheat, bring water to a simmer, turn off the heat and add the eggs. Wait 1 to 2 minutes or until warmed through.
• Whisk together the egg yolks, water, salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne in a 2 quart saucier for 1 minute.
• Put the saucier over low heat and whisk vigorously, moving the pan on and off the heat every 10 to 15 seconds, bringing the mixture to 140 to 145 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 3 minutes. Add 1 piece of butter at a time, every 30 seconds, while continually whisking and moving the saucier on and off the heat. Maintain temperature around 120 to 130 degrees F throughout the remainder of the cooking process. Once half of the butter, or 8 pieces, have been added, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Add the remaining 8 pieces of butter, 1 at a time, every 30 seconds, while continuing to move the saucier on and off the heat and maintaining 120 to 130 degrees F. After the last piece of butter has been added, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, and the sugar and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Taste and add more lemon juice, as desired. Move immediately to a short, wide-mouthed thermos to hold for up to 2 hours. Reheat over low heat for 45 seconds.
• To build Eggs Benedict: Put the julienned Canadian bacon in 10-inch saute pan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through and beginning to turn lightly brown around the edges, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, but leave the bacon in the pan to keep warm until serving.
• For each serving, put 2 small dollops of hollandaise on a plate and set 1/2 an English muffin on top of each dollop. Put a small amount of Canadian bacon on top of each half and top with 1 warm poached egg and drizzle with hollandaise. Repeat with remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

GORDON'S EGGS BENEDICT

Steps:

• Bring a deep saucepan of water to the boil (at least 2 litres) and add 3 tbsp white wine vinegar. Break the eggs into four separate coffee cups or ramekins. Split the muffins, toast them and warm some plates.
• Swirl the vinegared water briskly to form a vortex and slide in an egg. It will curl round and set to a neat round shape. Cook for 2-3 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon.
• Repeat with the other eggs, one at a time, re-swirling the water as you slide in the eggs. Spread some sauce on each muffin, scrunch a slice of ham on top, then top with an egg. Spoon over the remaining hollandaise and serve at once.

CLASSIC EGGS BENEDICT

Steps:

• Prepare Hollandaise sauce according to directions below. Set aside while poaching eggs.
• Stovetop Poaching Method: Fill saucepan with about 3 inches (8 cm) of water. Add a splash of vinegar. Heat until water simmers gently. Break cold egg into small dish or saucer. Holding dish just above simmering water, gently slip egg into water. Repeat for remaining eggs. Cook in barely simmering water until whites are set and yolks are cooked as desired, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove eggs with slotted spoon and drain well on paper towel.
• Microwave Poaching Method: Pour ⅓ cup (75 mL) water into small deep bowl. Bring to boil on High (100% power). Break eggs, one at a time, and slip into water. Pierce yolk membranes with fork. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving small steam vent. Cook until whites are set and yolk are cooked as desired, 40 to 60 seconds. Let stand, covered, for 1 minute. Remove eggs from bowl and drain well on paper towel.
• Top each English muffin half with slice of back bacon, a poached egg and 2 tbsp (30 mL) Hollandaise sauce.
• Hollandaise Sauce
• Stovetop Method: In top of double boiler, whisk together butter, egg yolks, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Microwave Method: In 4-cup (1 L) glass measure, whisk together butter, egg yolks, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Gradually add melted butter into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Microwave on Medium (50% power) until sauce thickens, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Whisk halfway through and at end of cooking to produce a smooth sauce. Serve warm.

EGGS BENEDICT CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cut muffins into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Cut Canadian bacon into 1/2-inch squares. Set aside. Whisk the eggs well in a 2-quart bowl. Whisk in milk and onion powder.
• Spray a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking oil spray. Scatter half the Canadian bacon evenly in bottom of dish. Scatter muffin cubes on top of Canadian bacon. Top with the remaining Canadian bacon, scattering it evenly over the bread. Pour egg mixture over the casserole. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours, to let bread absorb egg mixture.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove casserole from refrigerator and uncover it. Lightly sprinkle the paprika evenly over the top. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove dish from the oven, remove foil, return dish to the oven and continue to bake, uncovered, until the eggs are set and the bacon on top begins to crisp, about 20 minutes more. Remove the casserole from oven and let it stand 5 minutes before serving.
• While casserole bakes, make Easy Hollandaise Sauce (see my recipe #121586). To serve, cut casserole into squares and place them on plates. Spoon about 2 tablespoons (or to taste) warm Hollandaise Sauce over each serving just before serving.
• Makes 10 servings.
• NOTE: Time does not reflect refrigeration time of at least 8 hours, nor standing time of 5 minutes.