Sunday Brunch #2 - Eggs benedict

Eggs benedict are without doubt one of my favorites, if not my favorite breakfast dish. Whenever I go to Chez Cora, I always end up ordering their mushroom and brie egg benedict. Yummm! What better way to start your day than with a nice, runny egg covered in a rich and creamy hollandaise sauce? That's why I decided to dedicate my Sunday Brunch #2 to eggs benedicts! It was time consuming, but oh so worth it!

I thought about taking pictures through the whole egg poaching process, but it was just too labor-intensive. Instead, I found a really informative video on Youtube on how to poach an egg:

Egg benedicts with mushrooms and ham

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

4 slices Canadian bacon or ham

4 eggs

2 English muffins, split and toasted

1 cup white mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon of olive oil

For hollandaise sauce:

1/2 cup butter

3 egg yolks

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

hot water

salt to taste

Directions

1. In a skillet, sauté the mushrooms with the olive oil until cooked. Season with salt. Set aside.

2. Brown ham slices or Canadian bacon in skillet over medium heat. Top English muffins with ham, sauteed mushrooms and poached eggs.

3. Pour hollandaise sauce on eggs.

For hollandaise sauce:

1. Melt and clarify the butter in a saucepan. Clarifying simply means skimming off the white solids floating on top of the melted butter. Set aside.

2. Fill the bottom of a double boiler part-way with water. Make sure that water does not touch the top pan. Bring water to a gentle simmer. In the top of the double boiler, whisk egg yolks. Continue to whisk until egg yolks thicken and lighten (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.

3. Gradually pour in the clarified butter (one teaspoon at a time) while whisking yolks constantly. Add lemon juice and salt to taste. If sauce is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of hot water. (I added 3 tablespoons and my sauce was too thin).

The egg benedict was served with roasted potatoes and tomatoes. If only these

were easier to make...I'll probably make it every weekend!

Sunday Brunch Series: Week #1 - Buttermilk Pancakes

Breakfast...We learned as a child that it is the most important meal of the day. Unfortunately, it's the meal I have skipped for the last 20 years of my life lol. I've been better the last 2 years, managing to have a bowl of cereal or a croissant here and there. But most days, I leave the house in the morning with my Earl Grey tea and that is my breakfast.

Don't get me wrong - I love breakfast. I just never seem to find the time to eat in the morning. I prefer to spend those precious 10-15 minutes in bed getting some much needed zzz's. The only time that I can have breakfast (or rather brunch) is on the weekend. This is why I wanted to start a Sunday Brunch series on my blog. Each Sunday, I'll post a savory breakfast recipe. This way I'll enjoy a nice breakfast at least once a week.

For the week #1, I made buttermilk pancakes! They were light and fluffy - simply delicious! I had enough batter for around 24 pancakes. You can freeze the leftovers and pop them in the microwave whenever you feel like eating pancakes again!

Buttermilk Pancakes

From Allrecipes

Makes 24 pancakes

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons white sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

3 eggs

1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs, and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!

3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

I served it with 100% real Canadian maple syrup. Trust me, real maple syrup (none of that Aunt Jemima crap) makes a world of difference on your palate. Enjoy!