Eggs Benedict: the ultimate dish I could eat all the time. Hollandaise, ham and eggs, these three form a an absolutely decadent combo that I crave. Jan recreated the classic version a bit and the result was outstanding. What do you think?
For 2 portions:
10 quail eggs
2 egg yolks
20 g chives
4 slices prosciutto (we used serrano ham)
2 slices of bread
150 g butter
10 ml tarragon vinegar
lemon
basil for garnish
salt, pepper, sunflower oil
First, you need to break the eggs. It is easier to tap the narrower side of the egg with a knife, the yolk will not break. Pour them in a bowl.
Bring about 3 litres of water to boil and add 3 tbs of vinegar. More acidity in the water means the eggs will close better and the yolk will not ooze out. At the same time, we don’t want the eggs to taste like vinegar, so don’t use too much.
Spin the water in the pot with a wooden spoon to create a swirl. Pour in the eggs, one by one, and decrease the heat to minimum. Quail eggs are tiny, so it won’t take more than a minute. When they are ready, move them to a bowl with cold water and let them cool down. If needed, you can cut off the excessive egg whites.
Put some sunflower oil in a hot pan and fry the ham on both sides, so that it’s crunchy. Fry some cubes of bread on the remaining oil (and you will have lovely croutons as a result). Add a bit of butter at the end. Season with salt and pepper. Dry with paper towel.
Jan’s recipe for hollandaise can be found here. This version is simpler, instead of reduction we used the tarragon vinegar and finely cut chives to finish. Other than that, it is the same process.
Time to put all the elements together! Reheat the eggs in some warm water (30 seconds will be enough). Move them to a paper towel and season lightly with salt and pepper. Put them on a hot plate, pour over some hollandaise, break the ham in pieces and decorate with chives, basil and croutons. Bon appétit!
