STONEGABLE BENEDICT

My family loves Eggs Benedict. But I have a confession. I have never made Eggs Benedict for them at home. NEVER!

 Just reading the recipe I could see that it is a very complex, time sensitive and fussy recipe. Far too much work for me early in the morning! I just leave the prep to the professional... my family eats it when we go out for Sunday brunch after church!

StoneGable will be full of family and friends this Memorial Day weekend. The perfect time to surprise them with my version of Eggs Benedict... StoneGable Benedict...




I used the basic idea and elements of the classic recipe and made it easier and less time sensitive! It is still quite a bit of work and it is a breakfast that you will probably only make as a special treat... but oh, so worth it!

STONEGABLE BENEDICT

8 pieces of thickly cut Italian Bread
butter for bread
4 large eggs
12 pieces good, thick bacon
1 cup butter (two sticks)
2 egg yolks
2 TBS cold water
1 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 drops hot sauce
salt and pepper
herbs, fresh chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until crisp but not burnt. Remove bacon from the pan to drain on a paper towel.

Turn oven to the warm setting or 170 degrees.

Meanwhile,  toast bread until the tops are just toasted.  Butter and set aside.  When the oven reaches 170 degrees put the bacon and toast in the oven to keep warm.

Melt butter in a large non stick skillet over a medium low heat. As the butter begins to froth, scoop off all the white froth that appears on the top of the butter. When there is little or no more white froth pour butter into a small  bowl. Set aside. Reserve the pan that the butter was cooked in for later.

Making the Hollandaise Sauce
You will need a medium size sauce pan and a heatproof bowl that can sit on top of the saucepan.  Put water in the saucepan, but don't let it touch the bottom of the bowl. Heat  the water till it just barely simmer.

In the heatproof bowl, whisk 2 egg yolks and 2 TBS cold water until very very frothy.

When the water in the saucepan is just barely simmering, put the heatproof bowl with eggs on top of the saucepan and whisk like crazy for 3-4 minutes. DO NOT LET THE EGGS GET SO HOT THAT THEY BEGIN TO SCRAMBLE. If your water and bowl get to hot this will happen! Take your bowl off the water immediately and whisk to stop scrambling. You may or may not be able to save your sauce. If done correctly, your eggs should gradually get very creamy, like a pudding. And they will get voluminous.

After they have been whisked 3 or 4 minutes and are done, turn off the heat. Add the butter in a little stream, whisking vigorously, incorporating it into the egg mixture. Here is where you will have to make a judgement call. You might not be able to add all of the butter, but most of it will go into the sauce. If the sauce begins  to break down, don't add more butter! If it stays creamy like pudding you are okay!

Whisk 2 drops of hot sauce and 1 TBS lemon juice into the Hollandaise sauce. Salt and pepper to taste and whisk in. If the sauce is too thick, add a little hot water until it has a thick but not stiff consistency.

Cover the Hollandaise sauce and put it to the back of the stove top, where it is warm.  DO NOT PUT IT IN THE OVEN.

Making the Eggs
Heat the pan that had the butter in it, there should be enough butter in the bottom of the pan to cook the eggs. Heat over a medium flame.  Add 2 eggs at a time. Push the whites towards the yolks keeping the white part of the egg compact. Salt and pepper. Make over easy eggs. Make the other eggs in the same manner.

Assembly

Put 2 slices of toast on each plate. Top with 3 pieces of bacon. I break mine in half and pile them high!

Put the over easy eggs on the bacon.

Top with a big dollop of Hollandaise sauce and finish with fresh herbs.

Serve immediately.

There you have it... StoneGable Benedict!

I'm doing some of the prep work ahead, cooking the bacon, cutting the Italian bread,clarifying the butter. Every little bit done ahead helps!!!

YUMMY!