Eggs Benedict : After all daddy-to-be needs some pampering too

While these nine months are all about the Mommy-to-be (that is you) and the little bundle of joy, everyone wants to make you more comfortable, cook meals that you crave for and in general work towards keeping you and your soon to be born baby happy. One must not forget about the poor daddy to be, who is having to cope with a new version of his better half (may or may not be an improved version :p) & with a whole lot of new emotions himself. Daddy to be deserves some pampering and attention too. After all men are kids too (well, thats a personal opinion :))

My hubby is as much a foodie as I am & we both love a hearty breakfast. So one sure shot way to make his day is whip up some delicious breakfast. When it comes to breakfast we both love eggs, eggs in all forms- poached, boiled, fried we love them all. Eggs qualify as super foods because of the nutrients they pack and hence are recommended as a part of diet for most pregnant women (unless you suffer from some allergies). Eggs are rich in Selenium, zinc and vitamins A, D and some B Complex which are required during pregnancy. 

However during pregnancy one must exercise caution when it comes to selecting and preparing eggs. Eggs must be fresh & must be stored well. If they emit a foul smell when you break one then discard it (not worth risking it). Also when it comes to egg preparations one must avoid raw or semi cooked eggs as it may carry salmonella bacteria. So during these nine months, it is recommended you cook eggs until both the yolk and white are solid (so its bye bye to the sunny side up fried egg with a runny yolk for a while). Completely cooking the egg destroys salmonella bacteria and makes the eggs safe to eat.

Salmonella poisoning may not harm your baby, but it can be very unpleasant for the mommy-to-be and lead to:

• severe vomiting and diarrhoea
• abdominal pain
• headache & high temperature

See the topic again steered towards you i.e. Mommy-to-be, this post was supposed to be about showering some attention on hubby. Now coming back to the Daddy-to-be, if you were to ask hubby to pick his favourite egg preparation the clear winner would be the Eggs Benedict. So I thought why not give it a shot. I googled hollandaise sauce and referred to the first link that I came across & then I saw a video on you tube on how to to poach eggs and I was all set to whip up hubby’s favourite breakfast.

Here are the links I referred to 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hollandaise-sauce-recipe.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIvpbSEboYI

So here is my version of the Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict ready to be devoured

Ingredients

For the Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice 

a pinch of Salt & pepper

1 teaspoon of butter

Poached Eggs

2 eggs

A large vessel 

1 teaspoon of Vinegar

a pinch of salt & pepper (to taste)

Assembling the eggs Benedict

2 slices of bread (ideally it is made with English muffins, I used bread since that is what was available at home at that point)

2 slices of Salami or Bacon 

Some butter

Method

Hollandaise Sauce

• Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. 
• Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water. One must ensure that the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. 
• Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk. remove from heat once the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume.
• Add the butter and some salt and pepper to taste. Cover & keep it aside until ready to use for the Eggs Benedict.

For the Poached eggs

• Gently break the egg in a small bowl so as to avoid breaking the yolk
• Take a large bowl of water & allow the water to come to a simmer
• As the water simmers, lower the heat & add the vinegar
• Now using the back of a spoon create a whirlpool in the water
• Gently slide the egg into this whirlpool 
• Allow the egg to cook for 3-4 minutes depending on how runny you like the yolk 

Assembling the Eggs Benedict

• While the eggs cook, toast a slice of bread on the pan with some butter
• Place a slice of salami or lightly fried Bacon on top of the bread
• Once cooked, scoop the egg out of the water, allowing all water to drain and then gently place it on top of the bacon or Salami
• Now drizzle poached egg with some of that yummy Hollandaise sauce

Its quite a simple recipe but really delicious. So go ahead & whip up some yummy breakfast. Happy Cooking :)