Eggs Benedict A La Bernaise

One of my relatives recently moved, and gave me some odds and ends from the kitchen such as tea bags, spices, ect.  One of the things was this package of Knorr Bernaise Sauce.  What am I supposed to use Bernaise Sauce for?  Well, it inspired me to make Eggs Benedict (yes, I know you use Hollandaise for that, but it is close enough).  Out in the boonies, we don’t have a store, and there were no English Muffins, so I thought I would make them myself.  Surprisingly, they weren’t too hard, and they were even more delicious than the ones you buy.  The recipes and pictures are as follows. 

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons white sugar

2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup melted Crisco

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour (You could just use all purpose, but this is healthier and delicious)

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.      Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until proofed, about 10 minutes.

2.      In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, shortening and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add salt and rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead with your mixer. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise about 40 minutes.

3.      Punch down. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter(if you don’t have one, you can totally use a cup). Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.

4.      Heat greased griddle. Cook muffins on griddle about 10 minutes on each side on medium heat. Keep baked muffins in a warm oven until all have been cooked. I froze my leftovers, and they were just fine when toasted later.

Now, for the Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise

8 eggs

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

8 strips Canadian-style bacon (my husband doesn’t eat meat, so I left this off his and he still loved it)

4 English muffins (recipe above), split

2 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions

1.      To Make Bernaise: This was super easy, as I just followed the package directions.  I’m sure you could find a great homemade recipe online if you would rather.

2.      To Poach Eggs: Fill a large saucepan with 3 inches of water. Bring water to a gentle simmer, then add vinegar. Carefully break eggs into simmering water, and allow to cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Yolks should still be soft in center. Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon and set on a warm plate

3.      While eggs are poaching, brown the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and toast the English muffins on a baking sheet under the broiler or in the toaster.

4.      Spread toasted muffins with softened butter, and top each one with a slice of bacon, followed by one poached egg. Place 2 muffins on each plate and drizzle with Bernaise.

 Viola