English muffin, ham, a poached egg with a runny yolk, and hollandaise made in a blender in one minute. Chervil microgreens on top add a delicate anise aroma.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 - English muffins
- 4 slices - ham or Canadian bacon (60 g)
- 4 - very fresh eggs for poaching
- 1 tbsp - white vinegar
- 2 - egg yolks for the sauce
- 100 g - butter (7 tbsp)
- 1 tbsp - lemon juice
- salt, a pinch of cayenne
- 10 g - chervil microgreens
STEPS
- Put the yolks, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a tall cup. Heat the butter until it bubbles and pour it in a thin stream into the yolks while the immersion blender runs. Cover the sauce and keep it warm.
- Bring 2 quarts (2 l) of water to a boil in a wide pot, add the vinegar, and lower the heat until the water barely trembles.
- Crack each egg into its own cup. Swirl the water with a spoon and gently slip the eggs into the center one at a time. Cook for 3 minutes, lift out with a slotted spoon, and set on a paper towel.
- While the eggs cook, split and toast the muffins, and warm the ham in a dry skillet for 1 minute.
- Top each muffin half with ham, a poached egg, and a spoonful of hollandaise. Sprinkle with a pinch of cayenne.
- Finish with the chervil microgreens and serve right away.
Chervil Microgreens on Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict is an English muffin, ham, a poached egg, and hollandaise made from egg yolks and butter. It’s rich and soft, and it wants an herb with a light scent. French cooking traditionally pairs eggs and butter sauces with chervil: it’s part of fines herbes and goes into béarnaise. Chervil microgreens have the same delicate aroma with notes of anise and tarragon, and their lacy leaves melt in your mouth.
Put the microgreens on the sauce at the last moment: hollandaise is warm, and chervil wilts fast.
About the Ingredients
Chervil microgreens: 10 g for two servings. Parsley microgreens work as a swap, without the anise.
Eggs: the freshest you can find. A fresh egg’s white is firm and stays close to the yolk in the water; an older one spreads into wisps.
Muffins: plain English muffins. Toasted white bread works too.
Ham: sliced cooked ham or Canadian bacon. For the salmon version, see below.
Technique: Blender Hollandaise
Classic hollandaise is whisked over a double boiler, and it breaks easily. A blender is more reliable. Put 2 yolks, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a tall cup. Heat 100 g butter until it bubbles and pour it in a thin stream into the yolks while the immersion blender runs. The hot butter warms the yolks, and the sauce thickens within a minute. If it’s too thick, blend in a spoonful of warm water.
Variations
- With salmon: smoked or cured salmon instead of ham, known as eggs Royale.
- With spinach: sautéed spinach instead of ham, eggs Florentine.
- With asparagus: blanched green asparagus under the egg.
- Béarnaise: stir 1 tsp shallot wine vinegar reduction and chopped tarragon into the hollandaise.
Serving and Storage
Eat eggs Benedict right away, while the yolk is runny and the sauce is warm. Hollandaise doesn’t keep: it sets as it cools and breaks when reheated. How many microgreens it makes sense to eat in a day is covered in our wiki: how many microgreens per day.
Another egg breakfast with microgreens: green shakshuka with spinach microgreens.
CHEF'S TIPS
If the sauce breaks, put a spoonful of hot water in a clean cup and blend in the broken sauce a spoonful at a time.
Poached eggs can be made ahead, held in ice water, and warmed in hot water for 30 seconds before serving.
