Smoked Salmon Benedict

Gotta love the macro shots, no? Since moving to NYC and learning how to throw money around while forgetting the days of college destitution, I have developed a semi-permanent craving for brunch foods. Eggs benedict with herby home fries, corned beef hash, huevos rancheros... Unfortunately for me, (a) restaurants only serve brunch on the weekends (still a step up from Boston, which only offers brunch on Sundays, and (b) although I might sometimes wish I could eat every brunch item on the menu in one sitting, I think I might seriously regret it. On top of that, brunches in NYC are $12+ plus tax, tip, and subway costs. Expensive to eat.

Enter extreme boredom on a weekday plus an empty fridge, and I find myself pulling on jeans and making my way to Jubilee. $9 later (plus a sidetrack to Chipotle next door to grab a lemon wedge or two...) and I have enough to make 2-3 servings of delicious smoked salmon benedict. Take that, Aquagrill.

I've borrowed a hollandaise recipe from Tyler Florence. Now onto the cooking, while simultaneously slapping Remy's paws as he tries to smack down anything hanging off the kitchen counter.

Prep/cook time: 15 min
Servings: 3

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp lemon juice (use less if you prefer a less lemony flavor)
4-5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Pinch salt
Pinch cayenne
1 4 oz package smoked salmon
3 toasted English muffins or other crusty/toasty bread, split
2 tsp red or white vinegar
6 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional) Chives for garnish

Equipment:
Stainless steel or glass bowl
Whisk
Medium saucepan or pot
Slotted spoon

Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened. The mixture color should be a lighter yellow than the original yolk. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water. NOTE: the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

Fill a saucepan half full of water. Add vinegar to the cooking water. This will make the egg white cook faster so it does not spread. Bring to a slow boil, and then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Gently break 1 of the eggs into the water taking care not to break it. Repeat with remaining eggs, and you probably don't want more than 3 eggs cooking at a time. I like to wait a few seconds between eggs so that the cooking egg white can set and so egg whites from multiple eggs don't merge. Cook 3 1/2 minutes until the egg white is set and yolk remains soft. Remove with a slotted spoon, allowing the egg to drain.

To assemble: Lay a slice of salmon on top of each muffin/bread half, followed by a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon hollandaise sauce over the eggs. Garnish with chopped chives.

Regarding the note above, I cannot stress how important it is that the bowl containing the yolk not touch the boiling water or be subjected to too-high heat. I remembered this step when first making the hollandaise, but then forgot when I tried to reheat and ended up with a curdled mess. In fact, I might even suggest making the sauce last since it's a relatively quick process. In case you are wondering what curdled egg yolk-butter emulsion looks like..:



Blech. Re-do!

I have to say, save for the initial sauce mess-up, this meal was absolutely delicious. I used some homemade rosemary bread instead of English muffins, and it worked well with the lemony flavor of the hollandaise sauce. Granted, hollandaise is almost all fat, but I guess that's what makes it so good. I even scaled down the butter requirements compared to most other recipes out there. Ah well, it's all good.



Yolky bliss.