I am a "house husband." I am a retired school teacher (from the University of Maryland after 25 years). I am looking for ways to occupy my days in meaningful ways while my wife continues to function as the "industry leader of the year" in the food service industry (I shall chronicle her accomplishments in later blogs.)
This is my first blog. And I have chosen to write about a new pursuit that I have undertaken to continue to learn and to develop. I am learning how to cook.
I have no pretensions nor ambitions to be a professional chef nor am I a gastronome in any real sense, but I do enjoy good food. In addition one of my greatest pleasures is to serve my hard working wife breakfast en boudoir on the weekends.
A favorite first meal for her is eggs Benedict. Of course the daunting aspect of preparing this dish is the sauce, sauce Hollandaise. Not too many cooks are comfortable ( or even competent) in the preparation of this accompaniment, but it is worth the effort to master the technique and I hope this entry will be helpful to those who would like to be able to "do the dish."
The sauce Hollandaise is widely admired, indeed even revered, in the world of the gourmand. The American poet Ogden Nashe immortalized the dish in the following lines:
I sing the praise of Hollandaise
A sauce supreme in many ways,
Not only is it a treat to us
When ladled on asparagus
And I would shudder to depict
A world without eggs Benedict.
- Ogden Nashe
(Etymological note: The French term sauce Hollandaise literally translates sauce of Holland. So we have the Dutch
to thank for the original recipe.)
I shall now provide my readers with my recipe for "Perfect Eggs Benedict a la Edouard."
Ingredients:
Thomas' Original English Muffins
Bob Evans Canadian Bacon
Four large brown eggs
One large lemon
Three tablespoons butter
Protocol: single serving
Separate the yolk (the nutritive material of the ovum consisting of protein and fat; especially the yellow, usually spheroidal mass of the egg, surrounded by the albumen or white of the egg) from two eggs and set aside. There are various ways to do this.I break the egg at the middle by gently tapping it against a cup edge or I sometimes use a knife edge and cut the egg; it works. If you are successful in separating the egg into approximate halves the egg whites will spill out from the shells.But not completely. You must try to get as much of the egg white as possible separated from the yolk. This can be accomplished by employing the action one uses when playing with a "Slinky" toy. Simply alternate pouring the yolk from one shell half to the other and the white will gradually be totally eliminated.
Poach or saute (gently fry)two eggs.
Set aside in oven on low warm setting.
Saute four rounds of Canadian bacon. Don't overcook. Place in warm oven.
Toast a split Thomas' English muffin. Place in oven.
Prepare the Hollandaise sauce. Over a very low heat
put two tablespoons of butter. Whip the egg yolks and add to the butter sauce. Stir constantly. Squeeze in the juice of the lemon. Continue to stir. Do not over cook.
The most common error made in the cooking of the sauce is too high heat, resulting in a lemony mess of quasi-scrambled eggs (yuk), causing many accomplished cooks to moan, "Alas and woe is we!" If the sauce is successful the resultant mixture appears as a rich beautiful golden substance ready to be ladled over the muffin topped by four rounds of the Canadian bacon and finally smothered with generous gifts of Dutch sauce.
For those with more adventurous ambitions, one might substitute for bird eggs reptile eggs. Yum, yum, snake or alligator eggs Benedict. I have even heard a rumor that a certain gourmand club down under in Australia was able to locate several eggs of the duck-billed platypus, the only mammal that lays eggs. Far out! As a liquid accompaniment I recommend a nice mimosa (champagne and orange juice) or a glass of good French wine.
A final historical note. Some historians allege that the dish was invented by Commodore E.C. Benedict (1834 - 1920) an American banker and yachtsman.
So long for a while. That's all the blog for a while.I hope to return, eftsoons.
12 comments:
I admire your cooking abilities, and the photograph is great too. Yours?
For me, I'll take the French wine and skip the rest. 'Cuz I can't cook. Ooops! dammit.
Woo hoo! You did it! Welcome to the blogosphere. I'm so proud of you!
Great blog entry. It made me think of Christmas mornings on Peach Street in Memphis. I remember being four years old and having my own glass of champagne for breakfast---with eggs Benedict, of course.
We continued that tradition Chez Dean until three years ago, when I gave up because the poaching of the eggs was killing me. (And I don't care what Julia Child or Jacques Pepin say, you cannot cook them the day before and just heat them up, because, Dude, the yolks solidify when reheated.) Don't worry though, Dad. My Hollandaise is worthy of praise.
But since it sounds like you've got it down like a pro--we'll be over on Saturday for brunch, say, 10:00. That'll be four for eggs Benedict. You serving stuffed mushrooms with that? I mean, it is a tradition.
Now that you are the master of your blog, how about tackling that cordless telephone.
Hey Papa!
I love your blog. I never knew that someone loved a kind of food so much that they'd write a poem about it! Although I do know know a song....
I scream,
You scream,
We all scream for ice cream (or eggs Benedict)!
I love it.
Oh mine Papa, how great it is to see you blogging for the ages. I must say, that I too am a lover of all things Hollandaise. I, however, go in for the newer microwave way to cook it up. I find there is less a risk of overcooking the yolks folks and I believe the ability to cook it up in a cup means I make it more often.
Rock on Dad.
Honey has perfected the blender manner of daising the Holland. Me? I do it the old fashioned way. I try to make Julia Child proud. Ergo, I drink when I do the Hollandaise. You don't really notice the curdling so much then.
Great pic - did you make those?
My man is HOT!
Uh, Tim, you say you admire my dad. What do you think about serving the wifey eggs Benedict in bed on the weekends???
(Deleted and re-added to fix a typo.)
Hollandaise sauce is a must,
And a sensuous sin, to be just,
Whether gulping and slurping,
Or yelping and burping,
It always incites me to lust.
AHA! I'm not the only freakball in this marriage!
(Dude, I so sympathize with you.)
You write very well.
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