Eggs Benedict

photos by Charlie Clift 

So, I poached eggs. With great help of my mum, the magic of internet and self-determination I attempted egg-poaching. I had this crazy idea of Eggs Benedict for Sunday breakfast but I've never made either hollandaise sauce or the eggs before. I'm not really a fan of eggs actually. Well, not in omelettes, quiches and scrambled varieties at least. But poached eggs are a whole different story - especially the way they serve them in Deco Lounge or Papaji's ... yummy! So ... I got stressed, swore loads, cursed myself and my ambitions even more but ended up creating a very satisfactory breakfast. And even though I failed with two of the four eggs I attempted, I'm still pleased with the result. You should try it too - it's the best lazy Sunday breakfast in the world.

You will need:

a packet or two of smoked salmon

4 English muffins or bagels

4 eggs

some white wine vinegar

for the Hollandaise Sauce:

1/2 lemon juice

4 egg yolks

salt and cayenne pepper

Make the sauce first: whisk the yolks in a saucepan
(or bowl) until they are smooth and creamy. Add the lemon juice and whisk some more. Then put the pan over a pot of simmering water and warm the sauce. Add salt and cayenne pepper. Make sure you don't heat the sauce to much because the yolks will scramble!

As for poaching the eggs: bring a flat sauce-pan of water to simmer. Add a tablespoon of vinegar into the water (in that way the eggs will form quicker). Crack the egg right above the water surface to keep it all together. Boil for about 3 minutes. You want the whites to be cooked and the middle to still be runny. Take out of the boiling water with a sieve or a pasta spoon (it has holes so will drain the water).

Assemble your Eggs Benedict: put some salmon on the toasted muffin, put the poached eggs on top and pour the sauce over the whole stack. Garnish with some pepper (and some parsley if you have any).

Have it with some milky tea and it's probably my idea of heaven on a plate.

A tiny bit of history: Lemuel Benedict, a retired Wall Street stock broker, claimed that he 1894 walked into the Waldorf Hotel and, hoping to find a cure for his morning hangover, ordered "buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon and a hooker of hollandaise." Maitre d'hotel was apparently so impressed with the dish that he put it on the breakfast and menu substituting the toast for English muffins.