Eggs Benedict With Blender Hollandaise and Peameal Bacon

That's right.  I totally cheated on making Hollandaise this past weekend.  I was all prepped up to clarify my butter, set up the double boiler, separate my eggs and whisk the snot out of the whole deal, when I remember somewhere in the recipe vortex of my cupboard lies something about making Hollandaise in the blender.  Not really all that excited about searching through my many recipe binders and notebooks, I hit up Epicurious and there it was.  Hooray! 

I hadn't made Hollandaise in a long while...I think since I was last cooking at the fishing lodge in the Yukon years ago.  One summer I was the breakfast cook, and I had to start at 5:00 am...getting up at 4:30, stumbling down some stairs from our little cabin to the main lodge. (It was very "Dirty Dancing" - the staff quarters were kept apart from the guests.)  In summer when the midnight sun was up, it would be light at this time, which was very cool.  In the fall, it was pitch black, and the threat of bears in camp always made me walk a little faster to the lodge.  People who know me always laugh when they find how early I had to get up, as I am NOT a good morning person.  (I don't feel fully human until around 10:00.)  Still can't believe I got up so ungodly early, but I survived!  (And the bears never got me either.)

Three handsome men were coming to have brunch at my house this past weekend (I know!  Lucky me!) ...and I wanted to make something special.  Bennies it was!  When I realized I could blenderize the Hollandaise, I was very excited to compare with the old school version.  Really, it's pretty close in flavour and texture, I hardly think I'll make it old school again.  If you've ever made mayonnaise, it's exactly like that, except with hot hot butter instead of oil.  Someone suggested keeping the sauce in a thermos while the rest of brunch was being prepared, and it worked out well.  Just be sure to pour it on top of your hot poached eggs, and serve at once, as it does cool off quickly. 

With some tasty hash browns and oven roasted grape tomatoes (I love tomatoes and eggs together!), this Eggs Benedict was incredible. Thick slices of peameal bacon sat on crispy English muffins, topped with the little ghosts of poached eggs, all smothered with the luscious sauce.  Almost two bottles of a White Merlot later, and a belly full of Hollandaise, it was time for a nap.  The dishes could wait!

Eggs Benedict With Blender Hollandaise Sauce

6 English Muffins
1 big chunk of peameal bacon, cut into 12 slices, or 12 slices of ham, or bacon or smoked salmon.
12 eggs

Sauce:
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper
1 tbsp heavy cream
1 cup melted unsalted butter (if using salted butter, omit the salt above)
2 tbsp lemon juice

In a blender, combine the yolks, salt, cayenne and cream.  Blend for a few seconds. 
In a small pot, melt the butter until bubbly. Don't brown the butter. 
With the motor of your blender running, slowly, but steadily pour the hot butter into the yolks.  Halfway through, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice.  Pour in the rest of your hot butter.  Adjust seasonings.  You may need to blend in more lemon or salt or hot sauce, or fresh chopped dill.  Pour over hot poached eggs, or if not serving immediately, pour into a thermos to keep warm. 

For the assembly, fry up your peameal bacon until crisp.  Place on top of toasted English Muffins.  Top with hot poached eggs.  Drizzle the sauce, and dive in.  Serves 6.  Sauce adapted from Bon Appetit.