Easter Benedict

Easter Brunch? I've got you covered.

Mar 23, 2024

Holiday Hosting can be a nightmare, but it doesn’t have to be. When I host I like to simplify things for myself. I usually stick to five dishes or less. Two of those dishes being something I can make ahead and keep in the fridge, one dish in the oven, one on the stovetop and one store bought (don’t come for me on this one, I’m just keeping it real and usually it’s dessert).

So lets jump into the basics: Poached Eggs and Hollandaise. Really simple techniques that can be a bit intimidating. There are plenty of recipes that you can make hollandaise in a blender/immersion blender but alas… I am still awaiting for my new one to ship. So we are going old school, which is the best school in my opinion.

Poached eggs, do not salt the water. Use distilled white vinegar.

So lets get into this:

Hollandaise ingredients:

4 egg yolks
1 & 1/2 Tbsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Cold Cubed Unsalted Butter
Pinch of Salt
10-15 Turns of Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Paprika (non traditional seasoning)

Benedict Ingredients

4 English Muffins
4 Eggs Poached
1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar
8 Slices of Frick’s Carver Ham (about 1/4 inch thick) -Traditional Ham is fine too!
1 Cup Baby Spinach
2 Tbsp Chives Thinly Sliced

How I made it:
To make the hollandaise bring a small sauce pan with 2 inches of water to a simmer.

Using a metal bowl whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice until it doubles in volume. Bring the bowl over the top of the sauce pan to act like a double boiler. Continuously whisk, slowly adding the cubes of butter. Make sure to let the butter emulsify completely before adding more cubes. Once all the cubes of butter are added continue to whisk over the heat until it thickens by at least twice its original size. Take the bowl off the heat if it gets too hot to avoid scrambling. Once it covers the back of a spoon and is at your desired thickness add salt, pepper, cayenne and paprika. Adjust seasoning to your preference. Keep covered and warm until ready to use.

Using a medium sized sauce pan bring water to a low boil. Add 1 Tbsp of distilled white vinegar. Once at a slow boil drop down to a simmer, create a whirlpool vortex with a spoon and drop in an egg. Allow to cook for 3.5 Minutes. Remove and set aside.

In a large fry pan add a small amount of olive oil. Brown each side of the carver ham slices over medium heat. About 4 minutes per side to achieve a nice golden brown.

Toast up English muffins.

Assemble Benedict with a handful of spinach, carver ham, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. Top with freshly sliced chives.

Serve and Enjoy!