Of Ham-less Eggs Benedict

It started with an experiment. That's right, it was just suppose to be an experiment on how to poach and egg. But when I got the eggs from the fridge, I realized that I also had enough eggs and butter to make hollandaise sauce. Not letting go of the spur of the moment, decided that I should go ahead and make ham-less eggs benedict. 

Was it hard? Well, not as hard as I thought it would be. Granted, my first try at the hollandaise sauce curdled, but my next one was perfect. I think the trick was continuously whisking the eggs and butter and removing it from the heat as soon as it reached the desired consistency. Oh, and don't forget to transfer it immediately to another container or at least give the bowl you cooked it in an ice bath. As for the poached eggs, it seemed like I watched people poach eggs so many times on TV that I nailed it on the first try. The vinegar really did help. 

I'm not sure if I put too much salt, but my hollandaise sauce reminded me of glorious melted cheese but with a creamier texture. It tasted so good with the poached eggs. I really do wish I had ham to finish off this dish, but I can't complain. My experiment is a success and I will definitely be making this again in the future.

Poached Eggs

barely simmering pot of water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 

eggs

Pour the vinegar into the water. The trick I found was to crack the egg in a different container first then carefully slide it into the water. Use a slotted spoon to move around the whites, so they don't spread so much, although the vinegar also helps keep them from spreading. Once the whites are cooked, use the slotted spoon again to lift the egg out of the water. Serve!

Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks

75g melted butter

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk the yolks and the vinegar together in a steel bowl and place the bowl over a simmering pot of water. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Keep whisking. Drizzle the butter slowly onto the egg mixture and keep whisking. (Yeah, your arm's going to hurt a bit, but it's worth it) Keep whisking until the the sauce has thickened. Quickly remove the sauce from the heat and transfer to another container. Enjoy with your poached egg.