Benedict in a Basket
While making my husband's lunch this morning, I found to my dismay that the loaf of bread I baked yesterday had a giant hole in the middle! I was so bummed at the idea of an entire loaf being useless, so I determined to use it up somehow. It didn't take long for me to decide that this bread was perfect for eggs in a basket (or popeye toast as many people call it). But I had already had my heart set on eggs Benedict... after a moment of deliberation I resolved to combine the two, and I have to say I was quite pleased with the outcome.
Ingredients
Most of the ingredients you'll probably have on hand, which makes this a good lazy morning breakfast.
You need:
Bread; one or two slices per person
Eggs; depending on the hole you make in the bread, one or two per slice
Butter; 1/2 Tbsp per egg plus a little more for toasting and sautéing
Mushrooms; as many as you want
Lemon Juice; 1/4 tsp per egg
Garlic
Paprika
Salt
Note: the lemon juice and butter are for making hollandaise sauce, if you prefer a mix or another recipe then go for it, but I prefer to make it myself.
You need:
Bread; one or two slices per person
Eggs; depending on the hole you make in the bread, one or two per slice
Butter; 1/2 Tbsp per egg plus a little more for toasting and sautéing
Mushrooms; as many as you want
Lemon Juice; 1/4 tsp per egg
Garlic
Paprika
Salt
Note: the lemon juice and butter are for making hollandaise sauce, if you prefer a mix or another recipe then go for it, but I prefer to make it myself.
Make the Toast
Slice your pre-holed bread, or rip out the middle of some normal slices. Butter and toast one side in a pan and separate the eggs and yolks while it's toasting (unless you're not making your hollandaise sauce from scratch, then you can leave them together).
When it's good and toasted to your liking, butter the other side and flip it over. Immediately pour the egg whites in the center and allow it to cook through. While that's going, dice the garlic and chop the onions. Heat up a pan of butter and sauté the garlic and mushrooms. Cover(so it stays warm) and set aside. At this point, the egg should be just about cooked (if it's not then flip it over for about 30 seconds with a spatula). Remove from the heat and also cover.
Now time to make the sauce. There are many recipes, they are all similar. And mine goes like this: melt the butter(1/2 Tbsp per yolk), use a double boiler if you have one. If not, get creative; I use a ceramic bowl in a small pot with a little water in the bottom. A microwave is fine for melting the butter, but you'll need something else once you add the eggs. Once it's all melted add the egg yolks and beat vigorously with a wisk, be careful not to cook them to the point of scrambling. When the eggs and butter are well combined, add the lemon juice, salt to taste, and a little sprinkle of paprika. Continue whisking until the sauce is light yellow and about double in volume from when you first added the yolks.
When it's good and toasted to your liking, butter the other side and flip it over. Immediately pour the egg whites in the center and allow it to cook through. While that's going, dice the garlic and chop the onions. Heat up a pan of butter and sauté the garlic and mushrooms. Cover(so it stays warm) and set aside. At this point, the egg should be just about cooked (if it's not then flip it over for about 30 seconds with a spatula). Remove from the heat and also cover.
Now time to make the sauce. There are many recipes, they are all similar. And mine goes like this: melt the butter(1/2 Tbsp per yolk), use a double boiler if you have one. If not, get creative; I use a ceramic bowl in a small pot with a little water in the bottom. A microwave is fine for melting the butter, but you'll need something else once you add the eggs. Once it's all melted add the egg yolks and beat vigorously with a wisk, be careful not to cook them to the point of scrambling. When the eggs and butter are well combined, add the lemon juice, salt to taste, and a little sprinkle of paprika. Continue whisking until the sauce is light yellow and about double in volume from when you first added the yolks.
Put It All Together
Place your pieces of toast on a plate, add salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with sauce (or smother if you like), and top with the sautéed garlic and mushrooms. If you want you can add a few other things like tomato slices, dried herbs of your choice (basil, oregano, or cilantro would be good), fruit, or slices of cheese.
Feel free to change it up as you like, but this meal is best enjoyed hot, so dig in!
Thanks for reading and I hope you love this delectable dish as much as I did.
Feel free to change it up as you like, but this meal is best enjoyed hot, so dig in!
Thanks for reading and I hope you love this delectable dish as much as I did.