skinny eggs benedict with smoked salmon

I almost entitled this post "hollandaise schmollandaise," which, while not the most SEO-friendly, is a little more honest about what really happened.  Because what really happened was that I set out to make eggs benedict without cutting any corners - you know, including that rich velvety blanket of gold over two perfectly poached eggs - and my hollandaise, which looked beautiful almost long enough to merit a pat on the back for accomplishing hollandaise in a small kitchen with an imperfect double boiler set-up, went from emulsified to broken, runny, unsalvageable mess in half a second.  Twice.  Luckily, my roommate expressed she was never a fan of hollandaise, I decided I agreed with her, and we both decided to agree we didn't need all the egg yolk and butter anyway and I came up with the brilliant idea of sticking the word "skinny" in front of "eggs benedict" so my authority wouldn't be compromised.  It's working, right?

No?  Well.  At least I still have poached eggs going for me.

"I almost flunked my hollandaise.  It kept separating on me."

 See, the thing about hollandaise is that it has to be made as close to service as possible and kept warm - too hot or too cold any time during or after its being made, and it'll break.  (I totally get it, now, Sabrina.)  It's not impossible (although a blender would certainly help here), but not the easiest thing 1) to do by hand, 2) with a bowl that is too small to remove from the pot underneath it without burning a finger or before the sauce has already broken from being too hot, 3) when it's nearing 2 p.m. and your stomach is getting really irritated at the time it's taking to make breakfast.  Until recently, I had cast poached eggs into the same finicky category as I haven't had too much luck with them (read: eggs in trash).   So you could imagine the liberation I felt last week when Chef demonstrated and shared the secrets to effortless, everyday egg poaching:



1. Vinegar!  And not a measly tablespoon of it, either, as I was doing before per internet research.  This is the salt equivalent of boiling pasta water, which means there is no measuring involved - just use enough vinegar until the water tastes acidic.  I probably used around 1/4 cup for my small pot of water, but I encourage you to ignore this and add the vinegar slowly, tasting as you go - you'll be surprised by how much you'll need before you can taste it.  Because of the generous amount needed here, plain old distilled is fine (which is what I used), but feel free to experiment with other vinegars like balsamic or apple cider if you want to mildly flavor your eggs.

2. Poached eggs can be cooked ahead of time, shocked in ice water, stored in the fridge, and reheated by gently placing them in simmering water until just heated.  ...What.  I don't know about you, but this totally blew my mind.  I always thought poached eggs practical for only one or two people, unless you had some very patient guests, but now?  Now they are just as much an option for brunch parties as baked french toast or baked egg dishes are.  I mean, are you hearing this, Deb*??

3. Fresh eggs.  The fresher the egg, the bigger the thick albumen (the part of the egg white that is tight) is, the less waste you'll have from the thin albumen (the not-so-tight egg white that runs all over the place), and the bigger your end product will be.

So naturally, even after eating about a dozen eggs on the day of that lesson (poached, fried, boiled, baked with cream, scrambled, filled, as an omelette...), I couldn't wait for the opportunity to poach an egg just because I knew I could.   That opportunity came around the same time a perfectly sunny outdoor-brunch-kind-of-Saturday did, but I don't regret a minute of staying in because I've never had an easier time poaching eggs, ever.  And by the time the richness of a runny yolk spilled over smoked salmon, juicy tomato and a toasted english muffin - with briny capers, simply dressed arugula and the creamiest avocado to boot - neither of us missed the hollandaise.





I mean, would you?

* I love the internet because it allows me to pretend I'm friends with THE Deb Perelman by colloquially linking her using her first name.  I love it.



(With more salad and less bread, brunch leftovers can easily become dinner.  This is also a great excuse to have another poached egg.  You're welcome.)



Skinny Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon
Serves 2

After writing this out, I realize this isn't much of a recipe but more of a "poach your eggs and assemble" type of deal.  My goal though, is that you see poached eggs as something you can add to your repertoire and that on a future lazy Saturday morning you can say, "hey, maybe I'll make an eggs benedict sans-hollandaise for brunch!" and it will be a viable thing to say.  If you already knew how to poach eggs perfectly and slice avocados without breaking them while transferring them to a plate and to take multiple shots of them only after thoroughly cleaning that plate, all the more power to you.  Please teach me everything you know. 

For the eggs:
- 4 eggs
- distilled white vinegar

For the benedict:
- 2 english muffins, halved and toasted (I used multigrain)
- 4 tomato slices, 1/4-in. thick
- 4 oz. smoked salmon, thinly sliced
- handful of capers

For the salad:
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/2 tomato, seeds removed, small dice
- 1/2 shallot, finely chopped
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp whole grain dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp agave or honey
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste

Not really optional:
- 1/2 ripe avocado, sliced

Poach your eggs: Fill a pot (the wider, the better) with 3 inches of water.  Bring to a boil.  Add enough vinegar for the water to taste acidic, then bring back to a boil and lower slightly - there should still be some mild "action" in the water without it boiling vigorously.  Crack an egg into a small bowl and carefully slide it into the water, and if you need to, use a slotted spoon to keep it in place (shouldn't be necessary if you used enough vinegar).  Repeat this process for the other eggs (may need to do it in two batches if your pot is small).  The eggs will be done in about 3 minutes, or until the whites are set and no longer translucent, and the yolk gives when gently prodded.  Place in ice water to stop the cooking while preparing other ingredients (toasting muffins, slicing tomato, etc.), or store covered in water in the fridge for later use.

Get your benedict ingredients ready: Yes.

For the salad: Combine shallot, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and agave; whisk to combine.  While whisking, slowly stream in olive oil.  The dressing should look emulsified and slightly creamy.  Season to taste with salt and pepper (and lemon juice, if necessary).  Toss with arugula and diced tomatoes.

Stack: English muffin, tomato, smoked salmon, poached egg, capers, salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Salad and avocado slices on the side. Boom.