Eggs Benedict & um, Ribs. Really?

One of the reasons, or perhaps the only real reason, I write in blog form is that it makes it easy for me to find things again. No matter if it's a name of a plant and when I planted or when it typically blooms or what I thought of a book (ie. should I read it again) or some recipe that I like and make often. This is the place that I can have both the words and pictures together. I'm hoping that eventually I will not need all my recipe books or garden journals, but can use this blog to keep up with things. Right now, it's serving its purpose. I needed the recipe I used to make hollandaise sauce to make Eggs Benny (too cutesy?), and guess where the easiest place to find it was? Right here. Just what I wanted.
I cannot even think about how many times I made this recipe after first reading it in Cook's Country magazine  - I stopped trying long ago to keep up with it, but it is just amazing to me that something that seems so complex can be made simple and still amazingly flavorful.
But you know, America's Test Kitchen has this way about them. I've read for about a hour this evening regarding ribs. I would like to cooks some on the grill next weekend and so I'm reading several parts of The Cook's Illustrated Guide to Grilling and Barbecue: A Practical Guide for the Outdoor Cook this evening. I'm trying to decide between the Texas Beef Ribs, the Baby Back Ribs, and the Short Ribs. Oh and BONUS, I found what I think will be my recipe of choice for German Potato Salad (chapter on sides). Lucky me. That's just one of my favorite things in the entire world. I really have no idea why that is, but it is. Right now, the Texas Beef Ribs are seriously in contention. That may change when I get to the store and look at costs, but what will be, will be. Looking forward to some ribs, with garlic bread, and german potato salad next weekend. Lucky me.

Eggs Benedict

Delicious, home made Eggs Benedict

I recently read a blog post that was partially about not ordering Eggs Benedict at restaurants* which is something I never would consider since I don't care for eggs, but I know the MotH and the Boy both love Eggs Benedict, and I highly suspect that the Boy would eat almost anything if it had Hollandaise sauce on it. I made my first Eggs Benedict on January 1, 2009. I wanted to start the year off right, both culinarily and for the guys in the house and to see if I could actually make Hollandaise sauce from scratch - not that I had ever tried to make it any other way for that matter. 
Suffice it to say, I made Eggs Benedict three weekends out of the four that month and continued to make it until the weather got too warm to eat that much for breakfast. It helps that I found an dummy-proof recipe from Cook's Country. I can still see the cover of the magazine - it had a half cut grapefruit on the cover (Feb. 2009)

I don't know that you need a recipe for Eggs Benedict per se, but I did learn some things about timing and how to make this work. The poached eggs can be done four at a time, the muffins can be toasted under the broiler and then the Canadian bacon added and heated through (Note: Cook's Country says you can toast muffins and warm bacon up to 20 minutes ahead and reheat in a 200 degree oven before serving) I make the Hollandaise sauce first and let it sit over the warm water of the make-shift double boiler while I toast the muffins, bacon, and cook the eggs. The MotH and the Boy both like fried eggs (w/runny yolks), so I don't poach much anymore, but the timing is the same.

Lovely, toasty English muffins

Cook's Country recommends Bays English Muffins which are found in the refrigerator section. I prefer the original flavor as we're not huge fans of sourdough flavor. They toast up very nice, have a great crunch and lots of holes for Hollandaise to get trapped in. They are also very inexpensive - 6 muffins for $2.59.
While Eggs Benedict, in and of itself may not need a recipe, Hollandaise Sauce does. This is a half recipe based on the Cook's Country recipe (you should join for the yearly fee - it's worth it for just this recipe alone!). You will need an instant thermometer to check the temperature (we all want to be safe).
6 T unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg yolks
1/4 boiling water
2 t fresh lemon juice
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt

Starting Hollandaise

Whisk butter and egg yolks in large heatproof bowl over med saucepan with about 1/2" of simmering water. Don't let the bowl touch the water. Slowly add boiling water, whisk constantly until mixture
thickens and reaches 160 degrees. Add lemon/cayenne off heat. Season 
to taste with salt and serve. 

You may wonder why there is a photo of  Two Pigs Farm Maple Syrup. 1. It's amazing, I order one bottle every year. It is not cheap, but it is beyond incredible. Again, I highly recommend it. 2. I don't like eggs, as mentioned before. So instead of Eggs Benedict with the boys, I have an English muffin smeared with Hollandaise sauce and a side of hot breakfast sausage. One of my favorite things with sausage, besides grape jelly or mustard, is maple syrup. So that is why I have a photo of my favorite maple syrup of all time here. 


If you're wondering; I don't get anything, nor would I accept anything for any items recommended. It's just what I like. Everyone has their own opinion.
* This was a well written article from a chef's point of view and highly enlightening about how food is put together in restaurants - yes, a little scary. It also would make me try to disuade any dining companion from ordering Eggs Benedict at a restaurant. Jared (One Hungry Chef) goes on with sourdough recipe for English Muffins to which I would never aspire - mostly because sourdough anything does not have huge fans in our house. That said, please read this post and poke around the blog. I find it a fun read and very informative.