Eggs benedict has been a favorite breakfast item of mine for years, but it always seemed way too complicated to make at home.  In case you have never tried this out at your local breakfast stop, Eggs benedict consists of canadian bacon and poached eggs atop an english muffin, topped with hollandaise sauce.  To some extent, it is a challenge - I definitely had to learn how to poach eggs, and also how to make hollandaise sauce for this recipe, however man was it worth it – I think it may have been tastier than it is at the local diner.  As with a couple of my dishes on my 30-while-30 list, I actually made this twice over the last year, yet am blogging about it in the 11th hour, as the first time the hollandaise sauce was far too difficult - I first used my go-to chef Alton Brown’s method but A) making a homamade english muffin?  Really?  and B) honestly who at 8 in the morning has time to move a skillet on and off of a warm burner for several minutes at a time all while whisking?  Not me. 

So, instead, I did some searching and came up with this much easier way to make hollandaise sauce.  It took me about 5 hands-off minutes with my trusty food processor.  It was just as delicious, however, as my first try.  I used pasteurized eggs to increase the food safety aspect of this dish, as the sauce is not really cooked.

The other secret to making a delicious eggs benedict is making a well-poached egg.  This took me a few attempts to figure out, but I finally seem to have a good method.  The way that worked best for me is to start a large deep saucepan of water simmering – not boiling – over medium heat.  I added some vinegar to the water, which helps the outside of the egg whites to come together faster so that your poached egg doesn’t turn into egg-drop soup.  I cracked an egg into an individual bowl, then slid that into a ladle.  Then I slowly lowered the egg in the ladle into the simmering water bath and gently let the egg slide out of the ladle.  It takes about 2-3 minutes to get a soft poached egg, such as you would likely want with eggs benedict. 

Now that I’ve finished blogging about this, I think I may actually go make it for breakfast again.  It’s that good.

Eggs Benedict

(Hollandaise sauce from Elise via Simplyrecipes.com)

• 4 english muffins
• 8 slices of canadian bacon
• 8 eggs to poach
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 stick of butter, salted
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

In a small saucepan, melt the stick of butter over low heat so that it doesn’t boil off all the moisture in the butter.  To make the hollandaise sauce, place egg yolks and lemon juice in a food processor or blender.  Turn it on and combine until the mixture starts to appear slightly lighter in color.  At this point, slowly drizzle in the melted butter.  The mixture will thicken up and your hollandaise at this point is done!  Start a large at least 3 inch deep saucepan of water heaing with a small amount (2-3 tablespoons) of vinegar.  When it just barely starts to simmer, reduce the heat – you want tiny bubbles coming up from the bottom of the pan, not a roiling boil here.  Lower each egg gently into the water bath - I use a ladle for this, and gently slid the egg of when it was already in the water bath.  Poach for about 2-3 minutes for a soft egg yolk, longer if you want firmer egg yolks.  To assemble your finished product, split english muffins and lightly toast.  Fry canadian bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it starts to appear browned.  Layer an english muffin half at the bottom, topped wtih a slice of canadian bacon, a poached egg, and a tablespoon or two of hollandaise for a delicious (easy!) breakfast, and Enjoy!

I made my first quiche last November based upon this recipe for Easy Broccoli Quiche. Since I first made the quiche, I have changed the filling a bit and eliminated the crust.

I’m not a huge fan of pie crust, and removing the crust cut the calorie count in half. The filling in this new version is puffier, thanks to an additional egg and more milk. I probably add more than 1 cup of chopped broccoli, as broccoli, eggs and cheese has become one of my new favorite food combination. While it may sound fancy and indulgent, this is a healthy, filling meal.

We frequently have breakfast for dinner. Served with a slice of whole grain toast and some fruit, this quiche makes a delicious, filling meal. It also reheats well – perfect for a quick, mess-free breakfast or dinner leftovers the following night.

Crustless Broccoli Quiche

Yields 4 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese or Mozzarella Cheese
4 eggs, well beaten
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. If using frozen broccoli, thaw before chopping.
3. Heat oil in large saute pan over medium-low heat.
4. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft.
5. Whisk together beaten eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in vegetable mixture and cheese.
6. Spray 9-inch pie pan lightly with cooking spray.
7. Pour egg mixture into pie pan, and bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until center has set.

I made my first quiche on Sunday! Not only was it remarkably easy to make, but it got rave reviews from our company.

I first perused my cookbook collection, but was disappointed that the recipes called for large amounts of cream or milk. Since I have an intolerance to milk, I try to limit the amount that I use when cooking. Convinced that I could find a tasty recipe that had far less milk, I hit up allrecipes.com.

I settled on a heavily modified version of Easy Broccoli Quiche. While reviewers loved the general idea of the recipe, most said that the mix was too wet. My changes are detailed in the recipe below. As a time-saver, I used a refrigerated Pillsbury pie crust and frozen baby broccoli florets. If you’re looking to save even more time, frozen chopped onion could be used in a pinch.

I will likely add another egg next time, as the egg mixture didn’t rise to completely fill the crust. Aside from that minor criticism, I have no complaints. The egg mixture baked up nicely and was quite flavorful.

I took this photo right before everyone went back for seconds – there were no leftovers!

Broccoli Quiche

Yields 6 servings

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 cup chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup skim milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. If using frozen broccoli, thaw before chopping.
3. Melt butter in large saute pan over medium-low heat.
4. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft.
5. Whisk together beaten eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in vegetable mixture and cheese.
6. Place unbaked pie crust in pie pan.
7. Pour egg mixture into crust, and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.