Eggs Benedict with Canadian Bacon and Home Made Hollandaise Sauce

Making your own Hollandaise isn't as hard as you may  have heard as long as you follow a couple simple rules. It is an emulsion sauce, so basically the trouble you may have is that it can separate on you if you do it wrong and it will look all curdled and really disgusting. Luckily I also learned how to bring it back if you do screw it up. :) This recipe makes about 1/2 cup or enough for two people (2 eggs each) it is easily doubled too.

What you need:
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup of melted unsalted butter
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of salt (unless using salted butter)

2 English muffins
4 eggs (the fresher the better)
White vinegar
8-12 slices of Canadian Bacon
Fresh basil, tarragon, parsley, dill etc.

SET a pot with about an inch or so of water on the stove and heat until it's barely simmering
WHISK egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl until they get ribbony and double in size (this part doesn't have to be exact as long as you whisk it really well for a few minutes it should be fine)
MELT the butter in a glass measuring cup

SET your bowl on top of your pot like a double boiler. You could also use a double boiler if you have one.
SLOWLY whisk in your melted butter. I mean REALLY slowly. A few drops at first then a very thin stream, whisking constantly. Your sauce will start to thicken when it starts to heat up. If it gets too hot your eggs will scramble. If you see this happening or it starts getting too thick add a little warm water to it and keep whisking. When it is the right consistency, turn of the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Add the cayenne pepper and salt and  keep the sauce warm but not too warm or it will separate. It may sound finicky but once you get the hang of it it's really easy and works out well. If you leave it too hot and it does separate you can try adding another egg yolk and whisking vigorously over your water again. It's not the best but at least you didn't waste the whole thing!

To make poached eggs is pretty easy too. All you need to do is get a wide pot with a few inches of water in it to barely simmering (you don't want any simmering just bubbles on the bottom of the pan). Add a splash of vinegar to the water. This will help the whites from spreading out all over the place. It won't make your eggs taste like vinegar unless you put in too much (it's about a Tbsp per cup of water). Crack your eggs one at a time into a small bowl and add them to the water gently. It will take about 3 minutes or so for soft yolks and about 5 for firm yolks. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs once they are cooked and place them on a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to get all the water off of them.

To put it all together just toast your english muffins, add a few slices of Canadian bacon (MMM!), your egg and a generous scoop of sauce. I topped mine with fresh basil. It was AMAZING! You can try anything you want with this recipe too. smoked salmon or bacon, black forest ham, asparagus, tomato, whatever you like.

You can add tarragon to the sauce to make it a Bearnaise sauce as well. Serve it over chicken, fish, schnitzels or green beans too.

Blackberry Turnover

I got the last basket of blackberries today from Hopkins Harvest and OMG were they ever good. Ripe and juicy and needing to be baked into this fabulous quick dessert. Thanks again to my handy dandy package of puff pastry. This only took about about 30 minutes to make including bake time. You could use any fruit really. Ice cream is the perfect accompaniment!

What you need
One sheet(1/2 package) of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 1/2 cups or so of fresh, ripe berries of your choice
1/3 cup sugar
juice of half a lemon
2 Tbsp of flour
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp of vanilla or almond extract(optional)
Milk for brushing pastry and sugar for sprinkling

PREHEAT oven to 425 degrees F.

COMBINE berries, sugar, lemon juice, flour, salt and extract and gently mix until combined. (its ok if you smush the berries slightly)

ROLL out puff pastry into a square and cut into 4 equal squares and add a large spoonful of filling on the center of each square. Fold over pastry to make a triangle shape and press to seal edges. It's ok if some filling leaks out. Slice some vent holes in the tops of each one, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
BAKE for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 4 turnovers.

Peach and Poppy Seed Pancakes with Strawberry Compote

This is a great way to use up some fruit that you have sitting on the counter or in the back of the fridge. At least that was my intention. Not only are these delicious but they're also a little healthier then your average pancake. Some of the flour is replaced with oats. Which is good for you. So eat up and feel good about it!

Strawberry Compote
Slice up your strawberries (or whatever other kind of fruit you have) into smallish pieces and put in a small saucepan. Add a couple tablespoons of sugar (depending on how many strawberries you have or what kind of fruit) and a splash of orange juice or water. Turn heat to medium low and simmer until thick and saucy and delicious! Taste and add more sugar if needed. Make your pancakes while it's simmering.

Pancakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 3/4 cups milk
6 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp of poppy seeds
2 peaches, thinly sliced

IN large mixing bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center and drop in the two eggs, milk, butter, brown sugar and poppy seeds. Quickly whisk everything until just mixed. If batter is too thick you can add some water to it.
PREHEAT a large frying pan or griddle pan to medium-low. brush with butter or oil and when hot add a small ladleful of batter to pan. (I can fit 3 good sized ones on my crepe pan but you can make them any size you want) Press a few peach slices into each pancake and when the underside is nicely browned flip them and after a couple minutes they should be nicely golden brown and ready to eat! 
SERVE with the compote, maple syrup, whipped cream, yogurt or whatever you like!