Eggs Benedict with Homemade Hollandaise Sauce

This was yesterday's brunch at my house!  Many people shy away from making this old classic because of the hollandaise sauce.  Never fear--I have documented each step of the process so that you too can have this from scratch at your house.  There really is nothing like a fresh, homemade hollandaise sauce....mmmm. 

The traditional eggs benedict has a poached egg atop Canadian bacon on an english muffin before topping with the golden hollandaise sauce.  In this version, I still make the classic sauce, but instead of an english muffin I used a homemade biscuit and strips of bacon.  The biscuit was fluffy, tasty, and a nice change from the hard english muffin.  The bacon provided a nice texture contrast, with it's mild crunchiness. 

One thing I've always hated about the Canadian bacon is that it is usually too thick and chewy, and I think my enjoyment of the dish is partly lost when I am sitting there trying to chew down the piece of ham.  By contrast, the bacon is thin, crisp, and disolves in your mouth.  Perfection.  All the same flavors are present, so for the purist who screams this isn't eggs benedict, substitute an english muffin if you may, but I guarantee this will not disappoint!

Eggs Benedict with Homemade Hollandaise Sauce

(Print this recipe)

There are 4 steps to this dish:  the biscuit, the bacon, the sauce, and the egg.  I will go in order of preparation.  

The Biscuit

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold butter, cut into cubes

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1/2 c. plus 1 Tbs. half-and-half or whole milk

Egg Wash:
1 egg beaten with 2 tsp. water

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.

3. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to combine. Add the butter pieces and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 1-second pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl.

4. Mix the beaten egg and the half-and-half in a separate cup. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Combine with a rubber spatula until large clumps form. Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and lightly knead until it comes together.

5. Roll out the dough to about 1 1/2 inch thickness. Take a sharp knife and cut squares (and I use that term loosely--they can be odd shaped, rectangles, etc.) out of the dough. Just make a grid to create same sized squares/shapes to allow for even baking.

6. Using a pastry brush, or spoon if you don't have a brush, put the egg wash on top of each square--give it a good going over so it isn't dry on top, but not too much to have it running all over the place. A little running over the shortcake dough isn't going to hurt anything.

7. Place squares on a baking sheet and cook at 425 for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

The Bacon

1.  If your bacon is frozen, put it, still packaged, in some lukewarm water.  This is a trick I learned from Alton Brown.  Works like a dream and way better than the microwave.  It only takes about 10-15 minutes.

2.  Preheat your oven to broil (550 degrees if you can) and slice your bacon package in half.

3.  Line a cookie sheet with foil, then place a rack in/on it.

4.  Arrange your bacon and put in the oven on broil for 8 minutes.  You want it cooked, but not raw or burnt.  Keep in mind that it keeps sizzling for a few minutes after you take it out.

5.  Remove bacon from oven and allow to cool.

The Sauce

1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 Tbs. tarragon vinegar or lemon juice
3 egg yolks
4 Tbs. boiling water, added one at a time
1/4 tsp. salt
cayenne to taste
(this recipe is from The Joy of Cooking)

Overview:  Here is how the process works.  You are going to take 3 egg yokes and place them OVER hot, NOT boiling water.  Then you will gradually add 4 Tbs. of BOILING water, one at a time to the eggs.  Remove from the heat and add in the vinegar or lemon juice that you already heated in the microwave prior to starting the sauce.  Once combined, add the butter that you have kept warm.  Done.

Directions:
1.  While the bacon is cooking, get set up to make the hollandaise sauce.  The number one way you can make yourself successful with this sauce is to have EVERYTHING set up prior to starting the sauce.  This is because you literally cannot walk away from the eggs to get anything once you have started, because if you do you will kill the eggs and have to start all over again.

2.  You will need 2 medium and 1 small sauce pans.  Two will hold hot and boiling water, with the small one holding 1 stick of butter.  For the hot water pan, only put in an inch of water.  For the boiling water pan (pictured in the center), fill it halfway full so that it is easy to dip into with your tablespoon measuring spoon without having to tilt the pan or burn yourself.  Notice the next picture that I have the measuring spoon already by the stove. 

3.  At this point, heat 1 1/2 Tbs. of tarragon vinegar or lemon juice in the microwave for 20 second and place it near the stove (pictured on the left).

4.  While your water is heating up, separate three eggs into a bowl or top of a double boiler.

5.  Once your water is boiling and the double boiler water is hot (steaming but not boiling), place the eggs OVER the hot water.  Stirring CONSTANTLY, never stopping, drizzle 1 Tbs. of boiling water into the eggs.  Whisk until the eggs begin to thicken.

6.  Once the eggs have thickened slightly, repeat the same process until you have added another  3 more tablespoons of boiling water to the eggs (4 total), stirring constantly. 

7.  Remove the top of the double boiler from the heat and slowly whisk in the warm vinegar or lemon juice. 

8.  Next slowly whisk in the butter.  Add salt and cayenne at this point.

9.  Cover your bowl or double boiler with a lid and set back on top of the warm water that has been removed from the heat.  The steam remaining will keep the sauce warm while you cook your eggs but not continue to cook the sauce.  I have a gas stove, so in this picture I have the burner turned off.  If you have a regular burner stovetop, removed entire double boiler onto a hot pad.

The (Poached) Egg

1.  Using the same pan that you have the water boiling in, place two biscuit cutter rings.

2.  Drop in eggs, one for each ring, and turn water down to medium heat.

3.  Cook until desired hardness, 2-3 minutes for soft, longer for medium to hard.  Using tongs, lift rings out of pan and take out eggs.  I like to use a spatula used for turning fish, but a slotted spoon would work if the holes are small enough.

4.  Place atop your biscuit and bacon.

5.  Top with hollandaise sauce and cayenne for a bit of a kick!

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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

These pancakes are super light and fluffy, high in fiber and protein (if you go with the whole wheat), and comparatively low in fat provided you stick with the applesauce instead of butter or oil.  Keep in mind I said comparatively--there is still fat here my friends, but for fancy shmance pancakes such as these, you have to have some (in the form of eggs and cheese) to bind it all together.

I like these pancakes for several reasons, but mostly because they give you all the flavor with very little fat.  For those who are seeking flavor, usually swapping out the fat is the kiss of death as it holds a lot of flavor.  This recipe passed with flying colors with my family, even my mother who is a die-hard butter fan.  Here's the great thing:  for those who want that butter flavor, just tell them to add it to the cooked pancake.  I do.  I just can't have double the butter!  So, I take it out of the pancake batter and am able to add how much I want and will knowingly have to run off later!  Interestingly, as an aside, buttermilk doesn't pack the punch in calories that most people think--it's name has given it a bad rap.  If you aren't a fan of whole wheat flour or substitutions like applesauce instead of butter or oil, never fear; you can simply put in the ingredient that you are most comfortable with and I've made notes on the recipe where applicable.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

From the Kitchen of Ann Majors
(Print this recipe)

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour (if you prefer all-purpose flour, consider reducing the buttermilk by a ¼ cup)
¼ c.  sugar
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
½ tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk, use milk but add the lemon juice to it in a separate bowl and allow it to sit for a minute.  This will give the lemon juice time to curdle the milk and create a similar effect.)
3 eggs, separated
¾ c. ricotta cheese
2 tbsp applesauce (or butter/oil if you don’t have any)
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon (about ¼ c.)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. 

In a separate bowl or glass pyrex, combine all of your liquid ingredients and the ricotta cheese except for the egg whites.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined, but don’t overmix. 

In another bowl, whip egg whites with a mixer until glossy peaks form. Stir about one-quarter of the whites into the ricotta mixture, then fold in the remaining whites gently.

Melt raw coconut oil or butter in pan over medium heat, drop batter on using small ladle or large spoon. I used about a cup for each pancake, but you can make them any size that you like.  Cook for about two minutes per side on medium low heat until bubbles form over the entire pancake—don’t rush this. Top with syrup or powdered sugar.

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German Pancakes (Dutch Babies): Puffed to Perfection Every Time



Dutch Baby I made this morning

 When it comes to breakfast favorites, the classic German pancake, or Dutch Baby, is definitely on my list and my family's list of favorites.  If you happen to live close to or have eaten at The Original Pancake House (not to be confused with the International House of Pancakes commonly known as IHOP), you can order this fantastic creation and it will come to your table piping hot and puffed up a mile high after taking 20 minutes to cook; this, my friends, is the real deal and the way a TRUE Dutch Baby should be made.  But let's face it, we're not going to go spend $8 or more on a PANCAKE in this economy, unless perhaps for a special occasion or something like that.  It seems more reasonable that we would spend the $8 on the ingredients and make it at home but somehow feel like we are saving money!  The only problem is when you go through all that effort, spend the money on the eggs and butter, only to be disappointed when your pancake comes out looking more like a frisbee than a enormous puffed creation. 

Well dear friends, I present you with the most FULL PROOF recipe for absolutely perfect German Pancakes/Dutch Babies!  It never fails:  the reason being that it allows for what size pan you are using!  The biggest reason Dutch Babies fail is because the ingredients to pan-size are not proportional--so either you get too much pancake batter for too little pan (which results in a burned, raw, and flat pancake), or too little pancake batter for too much pan (which results in more like a traditional pancake with no puff and solid as a rock as it gets overcooked).  One last note:  follow the directions EXACTLY!!  Do not fool yourself into thinking you can dump the batter into a cold pan--just won't work.  If you are more adventurous, you can add some pre-sauted apples to the pan right before you add the batter.  YUM!  P.S. I love cooks.com for this very reason--great recipes!


DUTCH BABIES

(Print this Recipe)

1/4 c. butter
3 eggs
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. flour

3 TO 4 QUART PAN SIZE:

1/3 c. butter
4 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c. flour

4 TO 4 1/2 QUART PAN SIZE:

1/2 c. butter
5 eggs
1 1/4 c. milk
1 1/4 c. flour

4 1/2 TO 5 QUART PAN SIZE:

1/2 c. butter
6 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. flour

Directions:

1. Place the butter in the pan (cast iron skillet works best) and set in a 425 degree oven.

2. While the butter melts, mix the batter quickly. Put eggs in blender or food processor and whirl for 1 minute. With motor running, add milk, then flour.

3. Remove pan from oven and pour in batter.

4. Bake until puffy and well browned (20 to 25 minutes).

5. Dust the Dutch Baby with powdered sugar or nutmeg . It may be topped with fruit or syrup or pie filling; if you choose this option, I'd consider leaving off the powedered sugar and/or nutmeg). Each Dutch bakes in a unique shape and is spectacular when it first comes out of the oven.

(ORIGINAL SOURCE: COOKS.COM)

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Whole Grains Reconsidered: Swedish Pancakes with Whole Wheat Flour

Today’s mission: take one of my favorite breakfast recipes and incorporate whole grain flour. I’ve realized that I've been throwing the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to whole grains. Let me explain.

Remember when it was all the rage to go get a bagel with your friends? I can remember going to Einstein's Bagels when they were popping up on every corner, thanks to the latest fad of a heavy carb diet promising the much coveted smaller waistlines. A few years later, fads changed and there was a complete war against carbohydrates, and bagel hangouts were traded in for smoothie shops. Suddenly it was believed that carbohydrates were the enemy and the reason for a host of ailments, including a non-so-small waistline. So what is the verdict? Will carbs pack on the pounds or won’t they? The misinformation comes in defining what KIND and HOW MUCH of carbs we are eating. Let’s consider flour, for example.
If you were to look in your cupboard right now (and you happen to have the packaging for your flour) you would read one of two things: enriched flour (bleached or unbleached) or whole grain flour. The first is the bathwater. The second is the baby! By way of review, enriched flour has had the whole grain removed from it—the whole grain that has the fiber, nutrients, and other dietary friendlies in it. Whole grain flour is just that—flour comprised of the whole grain, nothing removed. It explains why I want to eat several pieces of white bread made with enriched flour and only one of whole wheat, and no, it isn’t the taste. The problem I have with is that I never feel “satisfied” when eating white bread. And I shouldn’t wonder why! The fiber and nutrients have been removed and instead paired with refined, process sugar.

In contrast, whole wheat/grain bread does leave us feeling satisfied because when we deliver the proper nutrition to our bodies, we fill our body’s nutritional buckets, and we are full for longer periods of time with less quantities of food. Why is a loaf of your mom or grandma’s whole wheat bread so heavy? Because the wheat is heavier than the chaff, people, and that’s what I feel like I’m eating if I eat enriched flour—chaff!

The verdict is that TOO MUCH of anything will pack on the pounds, some faster than others, such as foods that are low in nutrients and fiber and in the case of pancakes, enriched flour. As you gradually incorporate whole grains into your diet, you will most likely SHED a couple pounds since you are eating less, as well as noticing other changes such as level blood sugar through the day, less hunger pangs, and uh hum, other things that come with increased fiber in your diet! (Did I mention the colon health benefits from a diet rich in fiber…?) If you are suddenly motivated to go get some whole wheat flour (you can get it from white or red wheat; white whole wheat flour doesn’t mean it’s been bleached, but ground from white wheat)—DO IT—just gradually. Otherwise you and your family could have some aching bellies. It takes a little while for our systems to get us to whole grain if they aren’t use to it. I recommend starting with ¼ cup at a time and working up to 100% whole wheat flour.

This recipe probably goes more on the comfort food side of the spectrum instead of completely healthy and nutritious, but the goal here is to move the needle one recipe at a time. This recipe came from my Swedish heritage—my grandfather is 100% Swedish, so it’s funny that this recipe is aptly named just that: Swedish pancakes.Whole Wheat Swedish Pancakes

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour*
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
3 cups milk
3 Tbs. butter, melted, plus a tablespoon to coat the pan.
*Note: If you are just starting out with whole wheat flour, start out with ½ half cup flour and 1 cup regular flour. You could even start with ¼ cup.)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high or low for 30 seconds. It should be a soupy consistency, and you will notice that the cold milk has hardened the butter into hard little bits—this is okay. In fact, my brother insists that these little butter chunkies are the secret to great Swedish pancakes.
Heat a good non-stick or cast iron skillet on medium. Coat pan with butter—seriously, don’t use oil. It ruins the flavor of the pancake, or rather leaves it blah.
Pour ½ cup of batter into the hot pan and swirl the batter immediately by picking up the pan and getting the batter to coat the entire bottom of the pan and a little of the sides.
When the pancake edges start to pull away from the edge of the pan, gently flip the pancake—you can help this process by running a knife or spatula around the edges. Cook only a minute longer and serve with warm maple syrup, berry compote, or pancake topping of your choice.

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WAKE ME UP WITH A GREEN VEGGIE SMOOTHIE!

So why do we care about fruits and veggies? Well, if it helps me feel better and shed a couple pounds, I’m interested. For starters, many of the famed weight-loss companies prescribe eating more servings of fruits and veggies—roughly 5-6 per day, not only to get all the nutrients DAILY that our bodies need—but because they help naturally clean out our colon (gross, I know, but it is the best, cheapest, and most natural way to do it). Some people believe that our bodies actually need 10-15 serving, but as I am not a medical doctor, I will leave the decision making up to you! Second, they are higher in fiber, so they satisfy our hunger better and we tend to overeat less. Now, I’m not suggesting we all become rabbits because that would drive me to eat donuts, but when we start to regularly eat more veggies, we feel better mentally because we are taking care of ourselves, and we actually FEEL better physically.

My friend Marilisa gave me this recipe for an awesome green veggie smoothie. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but aren’t we all looking for things that are super healthy but taste good at the same time? Oh! I almost forgot to mention this added benefit: eating more fruits and veggies is NOT going to pack on the pounds. Instead, doing so will enable your body to get in balance and thereby lose weight, particularly if you are choosing veggies that are low on the glycemic index scale (less prone to spiking your blood sugar level). For example, pineapple is quite sweet (although it works in this recipe to balance all the veggies), so you can omit or substitute as you like. For example, if you don’t like the tomato, leave it out and give the rest a shot. You may find that you try it without a few things and work up to adding them back in, or maybe you start with one handful of spinach and work up to 4. Get creative and find what works for you and what you like.


GREEN VEGGIE SMOOTHIE

1 cup water
4 handfuls of spinach (spinach is over 40% protein)
1/2 lemon peeled
1 cup frozen berries (blue berries, strawberries, raspberries)
1 banana
1 slice frozen pineapple with core (core has the most nutrients in it -- freeze your pineapple in slices on a cookie sheet when its frozen throw it all together in one Ziploc bag)
1/2 apple with core, or pear with core, or half a peach. (freeze fruit when it goes on sale and throw it in my smoothies)
5 baby Carrots
1 tomato

Directions:
Combine together in a high power blender and enjoy!

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