From the experimental kitchen: eggs Benedict

[serinde]

This is one of audiovile's favorite foods, and since in last weekend's pillaging of the family collective basement I acquired a poached-egg pan, I reckoned as how I should master this technology.

English muffin and Canadian bacon: no-brainers.

Poached eggs: For the first batch, the water underneath wasn't at the boil when I added the eggs, I don't think, so they a) took longer than I expected and b) were not quite the ideal consistency, though there were no complaints. Second batch worked better. Also, in spite of the fact that the cups for the eggs are theoretically non-stick, a spritz of Pam definitely aided in removal.

Hollandaise sauce: In general, I don't understand why so many people are so very hysterical about sauce difficulty--the incident that sticks out in my mind was the "Food 911" episode about white sauces, for heaven's sake. EVEN STEVE CAN MAKE THIS, PEOPLE. I can only assume that there's some kind of irrational pre-conceived fear, like some people get when faced with technology. But I digress. Anyways, it went relatively well; I did get a little separation at the end, after I took it off the heat, which sort of confused me (the saucepan retained too much heat, maybe?) but it tasted fine.

Result: one very happy pooky, two pleasedly-full but diet-guilty others. naudia's diet forbade her from partaking, alas.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nicolai_/]

Eh. I am so-so about making sauces like that, but if I have to, I just remember that if it all goes lumpy I've got a blender and I know how to use it. I see no need for panic at all, but ensuring one has a working blender would be prudent.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

Lumpiness has never been a problem for me in just about any sauce. My worst problem--and it isn't a particularly difficult one to avoid--is getting distracted & letting sauces-with-dairy get too hot, whereat they start separating, or curdling, or doing other unpleasant things.

[auntiemisha.livejournal.com]

Eggs Benedict is one of Greg's favorites too but has never made the sauce, in his words he "heard it was very difficult to do the sauce". Maybe I need to get Steve to show him how?

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

Steve can do white sauce (beurre blanc); I've never tried him on Hollandaise.

The long and the short of it is: keep beating, and add the butter very VERY slowly.