Mock Eggs Benedict Food

EGGS BENEDICTO (CHIPOTLE EGGS BENEDICT WITH BLENDER MOCK HOLLANDAISE)

Steps:

• For the hollandaise: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter until bubbling hot. In a blender, add the egg yolks, black pepper, to taste, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Cover the blender and blend on high speed for several seconds. Either remove center cap of the blender lid or carefully remove the lid itself with blender still running. Pour the hot butter in a thin, steady stream into whirling egg mixture. Add the chipotle and pulse to combine. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. (If your sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out with a couple tablespoons of boiling hot water.) For the eggs: In a heavy saucepan combine about 2 quarts of water and the vinegar and bring to a simmer. Break 1 egg into a small bowl or cup and slide the egg into a ladle. Lower the ladle into the water, and hold it there, for 1 minute before removing the ladle and leaving the egg to cook for 2 minutes more. Poach at a low simmer until the whites are firm and the yolks are still runny. Repeat with each remaining egg. Transfer the eggs, with a slotted spoon, to paper towels until ready to serve. To assemble: Arrange a croissant half, cut side up, on each of 4 plates. Put 1 piece of prosciutto on each half, then 2 poached eggs and top with hollandaise. Serve immediately.

EGGS BENEDICT WITH MOCK HOLLANDAISE

Steps:

• Using 3 1/4-inch biscuit cutter or clean 6-ounce tuna can as template, cut ham slices into rounds.
• Whisk mayonnaise, 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, orange juice, grated orange peel, and fresh lemon juice in small bowl to blend. (Ham and sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Fill large skillet with enough water to reach depth of 2 inches. Add white wine vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to water. Bring to simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Spread 3 tablespoons butter and some additional Dijon mustard over split sides of English muffins. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ham rounds and cook just until beginning to brown, about 1 minute per side. Place ham atop prepared English muffins. Arrange English muffins on baking sheet. Keep warm in oven while preparing eggs.
• Crack eggs into skillet of simmering water. Cook until whites are set and yolks are set to desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium-set yolks. Using slotted spoon, transfer eggs to plate.
• Stir sauce in top of double boiler over simmering water until just heated through, about 2 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• Place 1 egg atop ham on each prepared muffin half. Spoon warm sauce over eggs, sprinkle with basil or parsley, and serve immediately.

CLASSIC EGGS BENEDICT

Steps:

• Make the hollandaise sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until no longer foamy (but not browned), 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the clear butter to a liquid measuring cup, leaving the milk solids on the bottom of the pan; discard the solids.
• Heat 1 inch of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not simmering. Combine the egg yolks, 1 tablespoon water and 2 teaspoons lemon juice in a medium stainless-steel bowl. Set the bowl on the saucepan (do not let the bowl touch the water). Cook, whisking constantly, until the egg mixture is pale yellow and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Check periodically to make sure the water isn't boiling or the egg yolks might overcook.
• Remove the bowl from the saucepan; slowly pour in the melted butter, a drop at a time at first, whisking constantly until thick. Whisk in the remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice, the cayenne and ¼ teaspoon salt. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in some warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to loosen. Return the bowl to the saucepan of water with the heat turned off to keep warm; whisk occasionally.
• Make the Eggs Benedict: Fill a large wide pot with 3 inches of water. Heat over medium-high heat until steaming with small bubbles; reduce the heat as needed to maintain a bare simmer. Stir in the vinegar. Crack 4 eggs into individual small bowls or ramekins. Carefully tip the eggs into the water, spacing them as far apart as possible. Cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 3 to 3½ minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with a kitchen towel. Gently blot the eggs dry and trim off any wispy pieces. Repeat with the remaining 4 eggs.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Canadian bacon and cook until lightly browned and warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Meanwhile, toast the English muffins and spread with butter.
• Top each English muffin half with a slice of Canadian bacon and a poached egg. Thin the hollandaise sauce with more warm water, if necessary, and season with salt. Spoon over the poached eggs and sprinkle with chopped chives.

EGGS BENEDICT WITH MOCK HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare mock hollandaise by processing all hollandaise ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Heat in small saucepan over medium heat until hot.
• Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer. Carefully break 1 egg into small dish and slide egg into water. Repeat with remaining 3 eggs. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until yolks are just set.
• Meanwhile, toast muffin halves, place on serving plates. Top each muffin half with spinach leaves, 2 ounces Canadian bacon, 1 tomato slice and 1 egg. Spoon 3 tablespoons hollandaise sauce over egg; sprinkle with paprika. Serve with fresh fruit, if desired.

CLASSIC EGGS BENEDICT WITH BLENDER HOLLANDAISE

Steps:

• Make the hollandaise:
• Cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted and foamy. Pour into a spouted measuring cup leaving milk solids in bottom of pot; discard milk solids.
• Blend egg yolks, lemon juice, and 1 tsp. water in a blender until smooth. Remove small inset lid from top and, with the motor running, slowly pour in butter in a thin stream. Add salt and blend until creamy. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice, if needed. Transfer to a glass bowl, measuring cup, or small pot. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface so a skin doesn't form, then place close to stovetop to keep warm up to 1 hour. If hollandaise seems too thick when you're ready to serve, whisk in warm water 1 tsp. at a time.
• Assemble the eggs Benedict:
• Heat a large pot of salted water over high until tiny bubbles appear on the bottom (water temperature should be about 180°F). Reduce heat to very low to maintain the temperature.
• Meanwhile, using a toaster, toaster oven, or oven set at 400°F, toast English muffins until golden brown. Slather muffins with butter and divide among plates.
• Heat a dry large skillet over medium-high and cook bacon until browned and warmed through, 2-3 minutes per side. Top each muffin half with bacon.
• Adjust heat so water temperature is about 180°F. For perfectly shaped poached eggs with minimal wispy egg white strands, set a medium-sized fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Crack 1 egg into a small bowl, then gently transfer to strainer. Gently swirl for a few seconds to allow any stray whites to drain, then scrape bottom of strainer on lip of bowl to remove any excess.
• With egg still in strainer, carefully lower into hot water until egg is completely submerged. Gently shake and swirl strainer, shaping egg with a slotted spoon. When edges of egg white start to turn opaque (about 30 seconds), carefully release egg from strainer with slotted spoon into water.
• Cook egg, flipping occasionally with slotted spoon, until white is opaque and firm and yolk is plump and jiggles slightly to the touch, 3-3 1/2 minutes more. While first egg is cooking, repeat steps to cook remaining eggs, but keep an eye on which went in first. Use a timer to avoid overcooking.
• When egg is ready, carefully remove from hot water with slotted spoon. To serve immediately, place a paper towel under spoon and shake spoon gently to remove excess water. Transfer egg to an oiled plate or rimmed baking sheet, or place 1 egg on top of each piece of bacon.
• Spoon a few tablespoons of hollandaise over eggs. Top with chives and a light dusting of paprika, if desired. Serve immediately.
• Do Ahead
• To poach eggs in advance, immediately transfer poached eggs to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Transfer to a resealable container filled with cold water (eggs should be fully submerged) and chill up to 3 days. To serve, place eggs in a bowl of hot tap water until they feel warm to the touch, about 2 minutes.
• Hollandaise can made 2 days ahead; press plastic wrap directly on surface and chill. To serve, fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and set a heatproof bowl on top (bottom of bowl should not touch water). Bring water to a simmer over medium-low heat and transfer hollandaise to bowl. Gently reheat sauce, whisking occasionally, until warm. If it's too thick, whisk in hot tap water 1 tsp. at a time.

EGGS BENEDICT WITH HOLLANDAISE SAUCE (THREE WAYS)

Steps:

• Fill a medium to large pot with 4 inches of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cover the pot.
• To make the hollandaise sauce: In a blender, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, cayenne, and salt and blend it briefly to combine.
• In a small skillet or pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it's almost fully melted and starting to bubble but there are still a few pieces of solid butter remaining, remove it from the heat. (Please note: Do not melt the butter in the microwave, as you don't have control over the temperature and the temperature is key for making this blender hollandaise sauce.)
• With the lid on the blender, turn it on low to medium speed, then slowly and carefully remove the cap in the lid (keeping the lid on) and pour in a little butter. Blend until the butter is incorporated, then with the blender running, carefully pour in the rest of the butter, little by little.
• Be careful, because this can splatter and make a very big mess! The mixture should instantly thicken up and create a delicious smooth hollandaise sauce. If it fails to thicken up right away, blend it on really high speed for a minute.
• Keep the hollandaise sauce in the blender jar and give it a quick blend every minute or so or place the blender jar in a large bowl of warm water to keep the sauce warm so a film doesn't form on the top.
• To make the eggs Benedict: Take the lid off the pot of water and add the vinegar.
• Put the English muffin halves in the toaster. The English muffins and eggs will take the same amount of time, so you want to have the English muffins toasted and ready when the eggs finish cooking.
• Crack one of the eggs into a small bowl. With a spoon, give the simmering water in the pot a quick clockwise stir so there is a little movement in the water. Once the water has almost stopped swirling, gently and carefully dip the bowl into the top of the water and dump the egg into the water. Without agitating the water again, repeat with the other eggs. Poach the eggs for 3 to 4 minutes. You want the whites to be completely set but the yolks to still be jiggly.
• Place a slice of ham, a slice of smoked salmon, or 4 stalks of cooked asparagus on top of each toasted English muffin half.
• Pull each egg out of the water with a slotted spoon. Give it a little shake to let the water drain off, then place it on top of the prepared English muffin. Top each with a couple of generous spoonfuls of the hollandaise sauce. Garnish with a quick shake of cayenne and dill or chives, and you are ready to enjoy!