A Father’s Day Brunch : Eggs Benedict

If the guy you’re celebrating this Father’s Day is anything like my guy, brunch is totally what’s on the table. It also means that I’m cooking, since making the Father cook on Father’s Day is just wrong. Also, my guy can’t cook; so there’s that. But I really don’t mind cooking, especially when it includes some of my favorite foods.

Brunch isn’t brunch without some form of eggs. And while my normal go-to egg dish for brunch is mini quiches filled with chorizo, leeks and cheese… for Father’s Day, you have to go with Eggs Benny. Eggs Benedict, people! The mac daddy of eggs.

Don’t be scared, I’ve got a few tricks to help you turn out this intimidating dish for your special dad.

Although, be warned. Have you seen the Dawn Dish Soap commercial where the husband is making his wife dinner, and uses every. single. pot? Well, while my Eggs Benny has always ended up delicious (my hollandaise only broke once, and I was able to fix it), I have also always left the kitchen looking exactly like the Dawn commercial. You’ve been warned.

Traditional Eggs Benny for Two

Ingredients

• 2 English Muffins
• 4 slabs of Canadian bacon
• 4 eggs (the fresher, the better)
• a little vinegar
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• Hollandaise Sauce

Preparation Instructions

1. Slice and toast the English Muffins
2. Pan fry the Canadian Bacon – don’t forget to flip it to cook both sides
3. Toss your asparagus in olive oil, salt and pepper. Don’t skimp on the pepper. Spread them out on a roasting pan and pop them in the over (I set mine at broil) for a few minutes depending on their thickness. Remember to check on them!
4. Make your Hollandaise (Instructions below!)
5. Poach your eggs (Instructions for this below, too!)
6. Put it all on a plate and make the father in your life feel loved!

Now, to help you with the two most intimidating parts when making Eggs Benedict… Poaching Eggs and the Hollandaise Sauce.

Hollandaise Sauce

TIP : Make your Hollandaise in a blender.
I’m sure all you classically trained French cooks are just dying right now. But it really does work, and it’s delicious! This is my favorite Hollandaise recipe, and don’t even think about skipping the Cayenne- it’s vital!

Blender Hollandaise Sauce – via The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 2 sticks Butter
• 3 whole Eggs, Separated
• 1 whole (juice of) Lemon
• Cayenne Pepper to Taste

Preparation Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter until sizzling.
2. Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a blender.
3. Turn the blender on low to allow the yolks to combine, and then begin pouring the very hot butter in a thin stream into the blender. The blender should remain on the whole time, and you should be careful to pour in the *hot* butter very slowly.
4. Keep pouring butter until it’s all gone, then immediately begin squeezing lemon juice into the blender. You should use the juice of one lemon and check the blender to make sure the sauce is still liquidy and moving easily through the blades. If it’s not, add a little more juice and give it a stir, then blend again.
5. Add in a generous shake of cayenne pepper. [Don’t worry, it takes a lot to make it too spicy] *If the sauce is too thick, continue to blend while adding more lemon juice.

Poaching Eggs

1. For whatever reason, they say the fresher the eggs, the better for poaching. I just go with it.
2. In a medium to large sauce pan, fill it up with water an inch or so from the top. The pot can’t be too big, only too small. Let the water heat until it’s boiling. I usually do this first and let the water get nice and hot.
3. Once it’s nice and hot, I add a little vinegar (around a tablespoonish). Some people have complained about the taste, I have never noticed.
4. TIP : Crack your first egg into a bowl, careful not to break the yolk. Dip the edge of the bowl into the water and let your egg slide into the water.
5. I immediately follow with the rest of the eggs (I do four at a time), putting them into a bowl and dipping the bowl in the water, sliding in the egg.
6. Once the eggs are in the water, cover the pan, turn off the heat and set the timer for four to five minutes. Normally I stick closer to four minutes, but I don’t mind if they happen to come out with super runny yolks. If your worried, stick closer to five minutes.
7. When the timer goes off, carefully get your eggs out of the pan with a slotted spoon and place on your toasted English muffins.

There you have it, Eggs Benedict, just in time for your Father’s Day brunch.

Let me know if you try it out! I’d love to hear if making Eggs Benny was a success for you.