without power. We are actually in a state of emergency and today on Halloween…the kids have a snow day! CRAZY weather for October. You see what happened is that there are tons of leaves on the trees yet so the heavy wet snow stayed on the leaves…weighed them down and CRACK!!! We stood on the side deck and you could hear the branches breaking…very strange and eeeeeery!!! We are really thankful that we were restored because man it was getting really cold…48 degrees in the house…the doggies were wearing their pj’s!
I tried so hard to make random generator work on the site — even got it up here and then ran the numbers and it did not stay with the winning number! I have to go back to the drawing board but the winning number was TWO and that is
I am going to share more Eggs Benedict Arnold creations with you about once a month…this is number 3! We will have fun with tasty treats under the egg and all kinds of creamy sauces and more to top these scrumptious creations.
Eggs Benedict Arnold with Garlic and Cheese Roasted Asparagus, Potato and Zucchini Pancake
Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
Pinch cayenne
Pinch salt
Directions
Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the Eggs Benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.
(remember once this sauce sits for 5 minutes it does get thicker so don’t worry if it is not the perfect consistency immediately)
This recipe for Hollandaise Sauce is from the pages of Chef Tyler Florence, it is such a picture perfect recipe I wanted to share it with you all on our first creation. I would not change a thing. This is where good ingredients, love and time shine through. You are going to have a tired arm when you are done but it is worth every single whisk.
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients:
A bunch of fresh asparagus
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Clean your asparagus and pat dry. Take one of the asparagus and hold it on both sides and apply pressure to snap it. It will do a natural break and you use everything up from the break. You can discard the base stem or create yourself a compost bag, simply place all of the ends and discards from your veggies and collect them in the freezer. When you have enough, make some yummy veggie stock from them…no waste and more delicious food in store for you and your family.
Place the asparagus on a plate, sprinkle with the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss. Place on a cookie sheet and pop into a preheated 425 degree oven and cook for 10-15 minutes. If you like your asparagus more well done, increase your roasting time. Remove from oven and sprinkle with your favorite grated cheese.
Potato/Zucchini Pancakes
2 large Yukon Gold Potatoes (or your favorite)
1 zucchini
4 tablespoons of flour
2-3 tablespoon of cream
1 egg
5-6 scallions sliced very thin (greens and whites)
oil for frying
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
a pinch of crushed red pepper if you like
Combine your egg, cream, flour, salt, pepper and crushed pepper into a little batter and place to the side. Grate your potatoes and zucchini in a large bowl and then immediately add the batter and the sliced scallions and mix well. Time to fry. Place a nice size scoop of this batter into a skillet of hot oil and press down to form the size you would like which is approximately 3-4 inches (a regular pancake size) fry until perfectly golden on both sides. Remove from the skillet and place on paper towels to drain off any oil residual.
You can place all of the items above in that warm oven and then poach your eggs.
Poached Eggs
Here is the simple sure fire way to make a perfect poached egg! Take a small skillet and fill 3/4’s of the way, bring the water to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Add 1 tablespoon or more if you like of vinegar, I love to use Apple Cider Vinegar, but White Vinegar is wonderful. They only vinegars that you should not use are those that have color. You don’t want to discolor your eggs. Now have your cracked egg ready in a little bowl, take a chopstick or the back of a spoon or fork and create a little whirlpool in the middle of the water in the skillet and drop you egg right into the center. The vinegar and the whirlpool motion keeps the white nice and tight and it does not spread. The vinegar also speeds up the cooking a bit. Cook for approximately 3 1/2 minutes (whites should be cooked and yolk should be loose). Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel to drain and then keep safely on a dish. Go back and make the rest of the eggs.
Now it is time to assemble. Place a potato pancake onto a pretty plate, then approximately 5 roasted asparagus, place the poached egg on top of the asparagus and then a nice helping of Hollandaise sauce on top. Garnish with some chive sprouts and a touch of parsley and viola!!!!
Remember to try to use Free Range/Cage Free eggs. It makes such a difference to our feathered friends that bless us with the incredible egg, a great way to thank them by allowing them to live a happy, healthy and free life.
Remember to Think…PINK!