The secret to restaurant-style eggs is all in the Hollandaise. Get that right and the rest of the prep for eggs Royale, Benedict or Florentine is easy.
Serves 2
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Ingredients:
For the eggs:
4 eggs
bread, bun or English muffins as preferred
125 g smoked salmon (Royale) or four slices of ham (Benedict) or a two handfuls of spinach
For the Hollandaise:
125 g butter 2 egg yolks
½ tsp white wine vinegar
pinch of salt
lemon juice
pinch of paprika or cayenne pepper
Method:
For the Hollandaise:
Melt the butter in a saucepan and skim any white solids from the surface. (I did this with a tea strainer). Keep the butter warm.
Put the egg yolks, vinegar, a pinch of salt and a splash of ice-cold water in a glass bowl that will fit over a small pan. Fill the pan around a third of the way with water and bring to a light simmer while you lightly whisk the egg-yolk mixture.
Put the bowl with the yolks over the simmering water and whisk continuously for 4-5 minutes. The sauce will slowly thicken. Remove it from the heat and slowly whisk in the melted butter. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of paprika or cayenne pepper for flavour.
Note: Hollandaise can't be kept long and is a bit of a nightmare to reheat as it tends to separate. Plan on using it all in one go, but if needed, you can attempt to reheat it very slowly, using the same bain-marie method. You may need to add a small amount of melted butter and water to re-emulsify.
For the rest:
One of my pet hates is vinegary poached eggs, so I don't use vinegar at all. Simply add an inch or two of water to a frying pan and bring to the boil, then gently crack the eggs in from a low height. Use a ladel to swish water over the yolks to ensure the tops coagulate. Once the water comes back to the boil, lower the heat and give the eggs another minute or two until they reach your preferred consistency.
If you're making Eggs Florentine, wilt the spinach by placing it in a sieve and pouring a jug of boiling water over it.
Toast the bread or muffin, arrange the salmon, ham or spinach on top of the base, and place the egg on top, drizzling the Hollandaise over the top.
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