To kick off our Olympic “coverage” of dishes from around the world, we started in, of course, the USA! You could really say that this is the USA with a dash of Netherlands, since Hollandaise is involved, and it is said to have originated there. Although the Dutch seem to disagree with this conclusion. You can read more about that controversy here. ANYWAY, the point of this blog is not to dissect the battles over who created recipes. I LOVE eggs benedict. Actually, I like anything that deals with eggs, breakfast, and everything in between. You really don’t get any more American than eggs, english muffins, and canadian bacon all combined into an open faced sandwich. There is also a debate over who created Eggs Benedict here within the United States, but we are also not a blog about food history, so you can read about the discovery of Eggs Benedict here. I’ve decided to change this dish up just a tad. I’m sure you will be just as pleased as I was with the results. Go USA!
Eggs Benedict is so much fun to make because you can really add any thing you want to it and make it your own! You can make your everyday eggs benedict with hollandaise and canadian bacon or you can go crazy and add tomato and avocado! Let’s be honest, avocado is a little “crazy.” Everyone can agree though, that you need poached eggs to make it a “true” benedict. I tend to like my eggs lightly poached, but for this recipe you can cook them anyway you like, as long as they are poached. For this recipe, I made my own english muffins. You can of course buy them if you’d like, but they are so incredibly easy to make, then why not make them!? I constructed my benedict by piling a layer of crispy prosciutto, the Kiwi-Mango Salsa from our Summertime Huevos Rancheros recipe, a poached egg, and Hollandaise. Serve with my Breakfast Potatoes with Red Potatoes and Turnips and you have yourself a real treat!
 |
I decided to take a huge risk here, and pair this dish with a Black IPA. I know, I know, it sounds a little extreme, but I thought the bold flavors of a Black IPA would compliment this dish nicely. SURPRISE! It did! I decided to go with Rogue’s Dad’s Little Helper, which you can find almost any where in the United States, and is actually still on the shelves from Father’s Day! This beer is just so good. Beware, this beer is very hoppy at first taste, but after it sits on your tongue for just a minute or two the maltiness just overpowers the bitterness of the hops. The deep flavors of this dish are intensified by this beer. I know you are thinking…Beer and Eggs Benedict, really? Shouldn’t I just be drinking a mimosa? Of course, you could drink a mimosa, but this blog is about pairing food and beer, so we couldn’t just pair with any old cocktail. Please try it. You will not be disappointed!
P.S. This recipe has 3 recipes in 1. We will start with the English muffins, then the hollandaise, and right onto the construction of the dish. Don’t get scared. It’s all very easy. There are just a couple of more steps than normal. You can of course skip the English muffins recipe and use store bought, but I recommend making them yourself. It’s really easier than you think.
Please enjoy this classically American dish with a classically American brew.
 |
 |
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp shortening
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar (for yeast mixture)
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Non-stick spray
- 4-6 eggs yolks, depending on size
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
- 1 teaspoon cilantro, finely chopped
- salt
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 cup water
- 2 to 4 eggs
- Water…LOTS of water!
- 2 to 4 slices prosciutto
- 1 cup Kiwi-Mango Salsa
- 2 to 4 tablespoons Hollandaise
- English Muffins, lightly toasted
- Cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- In a metal bowl fit for your stand mixer, combine the buttermilk, sugar, hot water, and salt. Whisk these ingredients together until the sugar and salt have completely dissolved. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the sugar, yeast, and 1/3 cup warm water. Set aside until the yeast has completely dissolved. Add the yeast mixture to the buttermilk mixture, and combine. Attach the bowl to your stand mixer with dough hook attached. Keeping the speed of the hook at a slow pace, slowly add the flour until the dough reaches a VERY sticky consistency. You want this mixture to be sticky.
- Set the bowl in a warm place and cover. Let rest for 30-40 minutes until it just about doubles in size.
- While, your dough is resting. Heat your skillet over medium to medium low heat. If you have a griddle, heat to about 300 degrees. Grease your metal rings with non-stick spray. Place the metal rings on the skillet or griddle.
- Take your dough, and with a large spoon, scoop about 1/4 cup of dough into the metal ring. You do not want it to reach the very top of the ring, but about 1/4 inch below. Allow the muffin to cook for about 5 -7 minutes and then, with a spatula, flip the muffin and cook for about 5-7 minutes on the other side. Remove immediately from heat and place on a drying rack. With a pair of tongs, remove the ring from the muffin and let cool for a couple of minutes. Do this step for the rest of your muffins. You can cook a couple at once if you feel skilled enough =). Although, I believe you should do one as a tester first. Store in a warm place until ready to serve, or refrigerate for use later on.
- For the hollandaise, In a stainless steel bowl, whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice until creamy and doubled in size. Over a pot of simmering water, place the bowl on top of the pan, and continue to whisk. Be careful to not allow the eggs to scramble by allowing them to get to hot. Slowly pour the melted butter into the mixture, and continue to whisk until the mixture becomes creamier and again increases in volume. This will take about 10 minutes, in which I hope your arm doesn’t fall off. It will be worth it. Remove from heat and add the cilantro, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cover and set in a warm place to thicken until ready for use.
- For the assembly, Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a stock pot. Grease your egg poacher with oil, butter, or non-stick spray. Crack your eggs in your flexible egg poachers. With a spatula, very carefully place the egg poacher with the egg into the water. Cover and let cook for about 3-7 minutes depending on how well done you want your egg. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat. And heat the prosciutto slices until just a tad crispy.
- Arrange your benedict, by stacking the prosciutto on top of the english muffin and then topping with kiwi-mango salsa.
- Very carefully remove the poacher from the boiling water with the spatula. With a rubber spatula, circle the egg and remove from the poacher. Place the egg on top of the kiwi-mango salsa.
- Spoon hollandaise on top of the egg and garnish with cilantro leaves.
- Serve immediately for best results with Breakfast Potatoes with Red Potatoes and Turnips.
