Very tasty Eggs Benedict

[masraum]

My wife loves Eggs Benedict. I'm not sure that I've ever had it other than maybe to taste a bite of hers. The other day, she decided to make some. We have some "country ham" that is old fashioned and sugar and salt dry cured and smoked. It's VERY salty, but also very tasty. She made some corn bread (sweet) that we were going to have with some baked beans and/or split pea soup (made with the bone from the country ham). She decided she wanted to try the Eggs Benedict with the cornbread.

So we used sweet cornbread instead of an English muffin, extra salty, tasty ham, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce made from a recipe online from Alton Brown. I was shocked because the recipe has 1/2 tsp of cayenne powder in it.

We were both extremely surprised and pleased at how good it turned out made with these somewhat unconventional ingredients. The sweet cornbread with the salty ham and the Hollandaise having a little bite plus the tartness or sour from the lemon juice all go together to create an explosion of flavor in the mouth. The missus says it's more filling and satisfying than the usual kind and she prefers it. We've had it two days in a row now.

In case anyone is curious.

Dry ingredients:
1 cup stone ground cornmeal
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour!)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon chili powder or cinnamon- or my fave: both
1/2 cup organic light brown sugar
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Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs*
1/2 cup plus two tablespoons light olive oil, or grapeseed oil
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 extra tablespoons water, if needed- the batter should be like cake batter, and not too thick
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Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
*
Lightly oil a 10-inch iron skillet.
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Combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal through brown sugar) in a bowl and whisk.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs with the olive oil and beat for one minute.
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Add in the dry ingredients and beat by hand just until a smooth batter is formed, about one minute. (If your batter is dry, add more liquid a tablespoon at a time until smooth.)
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Heat the prepared skillet over medium-high heat. Pour the batter into the heated skillet.
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Bake the cornbread in the center of a pre-heated oven for 25 to 35 minutes (depending upon your altitude), until firm to the touch in the center, and slightly golden around the edges.
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A wooden pick inserted into the center should emerge dry.
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Place the skillet on a wire rack and allow the cornbread to rest 15 minutes before cutting. Can be cut into 5 or 6 squares and frozen. Cut the squares into cubes before it's totally defrosted. This makes for easier slicing and it will crumble much less.
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Hollandaise
Eggs Benedict Recipe | Alton Brown | Food Network

Hollandaise Sauce:

3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne, divided
3 to 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice strained, divided
8 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Hollandaise Sauce:

Whisk together the egg yolks, water, salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne in a 2 quart saucier for 1 minute.

Put the saucier over low heat and whisk vigorously, moving the pan on and off the heat every 10 to 15 seconds, bringing the mixture to 140 to 145 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 3 minutes. Add 1 piece of butter at a time, every 30 seconds, while continually whisking and moving the saucier on and off the heat. Maintain temperature around 120 to 130 degrees F throughout the remainder of the cooking process. Once half of the butter, or 8 pieces, have been added, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Add the remaining 8 pieces of butter, 1 at a time, every 30 seconds, while continuing to move the saucier on and off the heat and maintaining 120 to 130 degrees F. After the last piece of butter has been added, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, and the sugar and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes.

Taste and add more lemon juice, as desired. Move immediately to a short, wide-mouthed thermos to hold for up to 2 hours. Reheat over low heat for 45 seconds.

Ham

(their bacon is amazing!!)

[masraum]

It's interesting, there's another recipe for Hollandaise sauce from Alton Brown on the 'net that uses 1/3rd as much lemon juice, 1/4th as much cayenne and 1.5x as much butter which is, I think more conventional.

I just don't think the stuff we made would have turned out as good if the ham hadn't been as salty, if we hadn't used the sweet cornbread and if we hadn't used this Hollandaise recipe that seems set up for EXTRA zing with the heavy cayenne and lemon.

[drcoastline]

I love eggs benedict and that combo you did sounds awesome.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by drcoastline

I love eggs benedict and that combo you did sounds awesome.

My wife loves regular Eggs Benedict and says that it can't touch this less conventional option for satisfaction and tastiness.

[stevej37]

One of my fav breakfast foods is Eggs Benedict...and I make it often. I go for the simple, faster way..have it down to less than 10 min start to finish. Bays English Muffins, Canadian bacon, Hollandaise sauce and eggs. I use coffee filters to do the eggs...works great and fast.
Your recipe does sound good.

[ltusler]

Coffee filters for the eggs?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by ltusler

Coffee filters for the eggs?

So when you poach them, the whites don't wander.

I've also heard of folks using muffin/cupcake cups.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by ltusler

Coffee filters for the eggs?

Yes..first thing when starting, get the water(about 2") boiling. Put #2 cone coffee filters (brown ones work best) in a coffee cup to hold them. Crack one jumbo egg in each and put them in the water. Poaches fast and you can see the progress.
Start the sauce right away and when the eggs are put in the water, start the muffins in the toaster w/bacon. They will all be ready at the same time. (or close). Yummy.

[speeder]

I had some really good eggs Benedict @ the Beverly Hills Hotel yesterday. Highly recommended, if you ever get the chance.

[Otter74]

Looks lovely, except for one thing, and I say this very good-naturedly - for the love of God and all things Southern, sugar has no place in cornbread. I am not even a "real" southerner but I did live there for quite a while and I love southern food. I suppose I have the fervency of a convert. You can make cornbread with water or with buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk), but it shouldn't have more than about five ingredients in it. I make Edna Lewis' version.

[DanielDudley]

I like all kinds of cornbread. My mom makes cornbread with blueberries.

I haven't had Eggs Benedict for years. Really takes me back. Cherish these times with your wife. In the long run, fancy meals are just a condiment to life.

[masraum]

Yeah, lots of kinds of cornbread. sweet, savory, whatever. Cornbread with actual kernels of corn and jalapenos, sure, whatever. It's all good.