photo by: lemonfilmblog
Eggs Benedict is a dish that is the standard fare in any hotel brunch. It can also be done very badly. Overcooked eggs, rubbery English muffin can make you dislike them in a hurry. On the other hand, you make it at home with fresh ingredients and serve it up immediately after you plate it up, you have yourself something truly sublime that transcends decadence with a silky Hollandaise and the perfectly poached egg that just oozes its golden yolk when you cut into it.
Here is a recipe for a nice, no-fuss Hollandaise that you make in the blender. No double boiler, no continuous stirring. Just a clever little technique that replicates the same low-heat method traditionally used when making sauces like this one. In this recipe, however, we will take it a step further and give our eggs benny a little Japanese twist by making a wasabi Hollandaise and serve our egg on onigiri instead of English muffin.
For the sauce:
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 lemon’s juice (2 Tbsp)
- 1/2 t dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp wasabi
- 1 cup butter
- salt
For the onigiri:
- 2 cups of warm Japanese short grain rice
For the rest:
- 8oz. salmon fillet
- 4 eggs
- fresh chives, to finish
Start by putting the egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, and wasabi in a blender and blend on low. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the microwave for 2 minutes or on the stovetop. When the butter is done, it should be warm. Turn the blender to high, then slowly add the butter to emulsify. When the emulsion is done, stop the blender and dip a spoon in the sauce. If it’s too thick, you can thin to the desired consistency by adding a little hot water. Turn the blender back to high and ‘cook’ for about a minute. The spinning blades coupled with the warm butter will simulate the delicate heat you require when you make this sauce the traditional way. Give your sauce a taste and season with salt if you need to. Set aside.
The onigiri is easy to do. All you need to do is make English muffin shaped patties by hand moulding or with a rice mould. If you’re using your hands, make sure they’re damp so the rice doesn’t stick. Pop them into a lightly oiled frying pan to get a nice toast on them. Set them on the plates and let’s move onto the salmon.
You can cook the salmon any way you like. You can also use leftover cooked salmon if you have it. In this recipe, you fry it in the pan with salt to season. Very easy. You can also pop it in the broiler if you want. When it’s done (salmon cooks very fast) gently flake it and set it on top of the rice.
Poach your eggs by using the freshest eggs you can get. Get a pot of water to a gentle simmer and add about a teaspoon of vinegar. This will help your egg from coming apart in the water. Gently add the egg to the simmering water by putting it in a ramekin first then slowly popping the egg in. Let it cook to the desired consistency (3 minutes if you like soft yolks, 5 minutes for hard). Once the egg is in the water, don’t disturb it. Just let it cook until it’s time to come out.
When your eggs are done, take them out with a slotted spoon and set gently on top of the salmon. Drizzle with the hollandaise and finish with some finely chopped chives. Serve and enjoy!
