Eggs Benedict on Risotto Cakes

Ok before we discuss how delicious eggs benedict are served over hot, crispy risotto cakes, it needs to be said that I've discovered the secret, my friends. The secret to making THE PERFECT poached egg. After a bit of research, and much trial and error, I've found the best method for poaching an egg here.
My first attempt at poaching was a bit of a mess. I had bought one of those poaching pans that you put above steaming water. Well, that was a complete disaster. My eggs stuck to the pan, my yolks hardened and it was just a failure. Then I tried just dropping my egg into a pan of boiling water. While this worked better than the poaching pan, it wasn't foolproof. The eggs stuck a bit and didn't coagulate and stay together. This final method seemed nearly foolproof! I think the swirl and the addition of the vinegar really seal the deal here.

So for the recipe below follow the link above when it comes to poaching your eggs.
The rest is up to me! I had made some traditional risotto a few nights before for dinner and this past Saturday while contemplating the usual pancakes or omelettes for breakfast, I noticed my leftover risotto. Suddenly it hit me. Why not make eggs Benedict-style and serve them over some crunchy, gooey risotto cakes instead of over boring English muffins? I had served eggs Benedict-style on top of croquettes made out of leftover mashed potatoes before and it was delicious. It seemed like a similar enough substition so I figured what the hell? I love it when I go with my instincts. This was so delicious!

I may make risotto in the future just so I can have leftovers to serve with poached eggs. So if you happen to come by some leftover risotto then don't pass up the opportunity to give this a try. It's a bit of work so early in the morning, but well worth it. Just pour yourself an extra mimosa and slap on your comfy house slippers. Brunch is served. Enjoy!

Eggs Benedict on Risotto Cakes


For the Risotto Cakes:
2 cups leftover risotto of any variety
1 egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
olive oil and vegetable oil (have plenty on hand)

For the Hollandaise:
1 stick of butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper

For the Poached Eggs:
4 eggs
1 tb white distilled vinegar

Prepare a large skillet for frying up the risotto cakes by coating the bottom with half olive oil and half vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium while you make your risotto patties. In 1/2 cup increments scoop out your prepared leftover risotto. Form into small patties, dip in your beaten egg and then coat with panko bread crumbs. Once your oil is hot, place your rice paddies in the hot oil. Turn heat on pan down to medium low heat. Allow the patties to brown on one side for about 3 to 4 minutes before flipping to brown on the other side. Once evenly browned, removed with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Once your patties are fried up, set aside and cover to keep warm.

For the Hollandaise, set up a double boiler. Once the water is simmering below, add in your two egg yolks and your cubed butter. With a whisk, constantly whisk the yolks and butter together so as to temper the yolks while you melt the butter. Once the butter and yolks are combined, whisk in your lemon juice. Finally season with salt and pepper, turn heat to low and keep sauce warm while you poach your eggs. If your sauce starts to coagulate, I just whisk in a splash of boiling water to bring it back to a saucy consistency.

Finally you're ready to poach your eggs. Follow this method here, making sure to swirl the simmering water into a whirlpool and drop your eggs one by one into the center. It helps keep the egg together in the jacuzzi and they poach up to perfect squidginess after three to four minutes.

Once the eggs are done, you're ready to assemble your Benedict. Place two risotto patties on a plate. Top each patty with a poached egg and then drizzle generously with Hollandaise sauce. Serve with bacon and a lightly dressed green salad and enjoy!

Breakfast Tart

I usually try to make breakfast on Sunday mornings. It is the one day that my husband and I wake up late, enjoy a slow morning and a big breakfast. Most of the time it's just bacon, eggs and toast, but sometimes I strive to try something a little different - homemade pancakes, french toast, eggs Benedict etc. Depending on how ambitious I'm feeling in the morning and how well I've shopped the day before. Earlier this week, while paging through my beloved Williams-Sonoma catalog, I came across this recipe. The picture was gorgeous - this quaint little rustic breakfast tart, with eggs, bacon, cheese and bread all presented in a neat little package.

So I bought all the necessary trappings on Saturday and went to work on this Sunday morning. I had a few snafus - mainly with the puff pastry. For one, the recipe says to roll it to a 1/2 inch thick. Well, I don't know about you but the frozen puff pastry I've always used is already about 1/4 inch thick so there goes that step. Secondly the directions wanted me to make some sort of edge with the puff pastry dough but I really couldn't see how that was going to work because it was already smaller than the size the recipe wanted me to cut it to. So instead, I brought out my tart pan and laid the puff pastry in it and cut and pressed to fit it's round shape. This worked out fine.

I also used fontina instead of gruyere because I had some on hand. And I used more cheese than what the recipe calls for. I also substituted fresh chopped parsley for the chives because, again, I already had parsley on hand. Waste not, want not! Overall, this was a very tasty little breakfast - and convenient too! Since mine was round it looked more like a breakfast pizza than a tart and who doesn't love pizza for breakfast! Enjoy!

Breakfast Tart
Williams-Sonoma catalog

1 sheet puff pastry dough
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp. water
3 oz. crème fraîche (I used sour cream because I had it on hand, worked fine.)
2 oz. shredded Gruyère cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 bacon slices, cooked until crisp
3 eggs
10 fresh chives, cut on the bias into 1/2-inch lengths

Directions:
Thaw the puff pastry dough according to the package instructions.

Preheat an oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

On lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into a 10-by-8-inch rectangle. Place the pastry on the prepared baking sheet. Using a paring knife, score a border 1/2 inch in from the edge of the pastry. Using a fork, prick the center of the pastry. Brush the border with the egg wash and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the crème fraîche and cheese, and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the crème fraîche mixture on the pastry, keeping the border clean. Lay the bacon on top, slightly overlapping the slices. Bake the tart for 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a level heatproof surface. Using a fork, prick any large air pockets in the pastry. Crack the eggs onto the tart, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still soft, 7 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the tart to a platter, garnish with the chives and serve immediately. Serves 4.

One less egg to fry...no more!

For the last three and a half years, nearly four actually, my husband has worked weekends. First, he had the night shift so while he was technically home all day Saturday and Sunday, he was usually sleeping so he could leave at night for work. Then he got switched to day shift, but his days off were still in the middle of the week.

I know couples deal with crazy schedules and time apart all the time, so I'm not saying our experience was any worse than any other or asking for any sympathy here (tiny violins), but it was seriously frustrating to have conflicting days off.

I felt like we never got real quality time together! The only time we saw each other was in the evening after one of us had worked all day. Mostly at that point in the day, you just want to eat, read or watch a little tv, relax and then go to sleep so you can get ready to do it all over again. We never got to take a weekend away together - without someone taking days off of work. We never got to just spend the day lounging around the house. And mostly we really missed waking up together and having breakfast on Sunday morning.

I literally had one less egg to fry every weekend, as the old Burt Bacharach song goes. But not anymore! This past weekend marked the start of a new era - both of us finally have weekends off. And we kicked it off with a bangin' breakfast - complete with enough eggs for two. We even figured out how to work one of our favorite wedding presents - an espresso/coffeemaker machine - with very successful results.


So here's to sleeping late, weekend getaways, long days, late nights, quality time and the first of many Sunday breakfasts...together. :)

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Field Greens Salad
2 english muffins, toasted
1 4 oz. package of smoked salmon
4 eggs
For the Hollandaise Sauce: (adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook - I basically used more lemon juice, it only calls for 1 tablespoon. But I like lemony hollandaise)
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
juice of half a lemon
1 stick of butter, cut into chunks
salt and pepper to taste

To poach your eggs:
Grease a high-sided, large skillet with cooking spray and then fill it halfway with water. Set on top of a medium to high flame and allow the water to come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, turn the water down to a low simmer and start dropping in your eggs one by one, giving each one a good amount of room. To drop your eggs in, crack each one in a cup first and then hold close to the water and lower your eggs in. Allow them to cook until the white has set and the yolk is still soft. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon. To assembly your eggs benedict, first place a piece of salmon on an English muffin, then slide a poached egg on top and then pour Hollandaise Sauce on top of that.

For the Hollandaise Sauce:
Prepare your double boiler, or place a heat-proof bowl over top of a saucepan of boiling water but make sure the bowl is not touching the water. In the bowl, whisk together your four egg yolks, water and lemon juice until smooth. Once whisked, you can add your butter one tablespoon at a time, whisking it in until it has completely melted. As the mixture becomes warmer you can add your butter more quickly. Once you've added all the butter season with salt and pepper and pour over your eggs.

I served this with a simple salad of field greens dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. It was perfect!


Note: I made the sauce first before my eggs were done. I found that when I let the Hollandaise sit while I cooked the eggs, it stiffened up a bit. To reconstitute it all I did was whisk in a little water back over the double boiler and it returned to it's silky, creamy consistency.

Good to the last drop of yolk!! Don't you just love a good breakfast?