Eggs Benedict, part deux

This recipe is straight out of the Lady's Home Journal magazine. YES, you heard me. Come on, I'm sure your mom or tia or grandma probably has one or two in their possession. And I know you've peeked at one at the check out counter at the Safeway. Anyhoo, this is probably the closest "original" eggs Benedict recipe out there. This one is a bit more labor intensive than my original eggs benedict post, but it is an awesome recipe to learn by heart because you never know when you'll have unexpected guests arrive at your house on a Sunday morning. PS: try "pompagne" instead of mimosas if you serve this for brunch. Pompagne is basically 2/3 champagne and 1/3 pomegranate juice. YUMMY!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

Poached eggs

• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 large eggs

Hollandaise sauce

• 3/4 cup butter (no substitutions), cut up
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch ground red pepper

Other ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter, divided (no substitutions)
• 8 slices Canadian bacon
• 4 English muffins, split and toasted
• 1 tablespoon water
• Chopped fresh chives, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Make poached eggs: Fill a large, deep skillet with water. Add vinegar and salt; cover and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.

Break one egg into a small cup. Carefully slip egg into gently boiling water. Repeat with remaining eggs, working in a clockwise direction. Reduce heat; simmer eggs 2 to 3 minutes, until whites are firm near the yolk. Remove with slotted spoon in same order and place in a pan of ice water. Set aside.

Make hollandaise sauce: Place butter in a 2-cup glass measure. Cover with plastic wrap, turning back one section to vent. Microwave on High 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until melted. In top of double boiler set above, not in, simmering water, whisk egg yolks and lemon juice until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove top only of double boiler from water. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle a few tablespoons melted butter into yolks in a thin, steady stream. Return top of double boiler to simmering water; continue to slowly add butter, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens. Whisk in salt and red pepper. Cover and remove pan from heat. (Can be made ahead. Let stand up to 1 hour over hot water.)

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet. Add bacon and cook 2 minutes per side, until lightly browned.

Divide and spread toasted English muffin halves with remaining butter. Place halves on a cookie sheet and keep warm in oven. Return double boiler to stovetop. Whisk 1 tablespoon water into hollandaise sauce. Cover and keep sauce warm over low heat.

To reheat poached eggs, bring same skillet filled with fresh water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add eggs with slotted spoon and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute.

Arrange 2 muffin halves on each of four serving plates. Top each half with a slice of bacon. Remove eggs from simmering water with a slotted spoon, gently shaking off excess water. Place one egg over bacon; divide and spoon hollandaise sauce over each serving. Sprinkle with chives. Don't forget the pompagne!!!

Brownie Muffins

As you all know, I am not a baker, but I decided to give these muffins a try. I found the recipe in an old Cusine at Home magazine. I only changed the recipe slightly. Instead of using both semisweet and milk chocolate chips, I just used semisweet, so the muffins were extra chocolatey. If you're a chocoholic like I am, you'll really love these brownie muffins.

INGREDIENTS (Makes one dozen)

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon instant coffee
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips + 1/2 cup for topping
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F; line 12 muffin cups with foil liners and coat each with nonstick spray.

In the microwave, heat 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, butter, and 1/4 teaspoon instant coffee in a 1 quart microproof bowl at medium power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave another minute and stir again. Repeat until mixture is smooth; let cool slightly.

While chocolate cools, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until sugar dissolves and mixture is pale yellow, about 2 minutes on high speed.

Add the egg mixture into the cooled chocolate and whisk together. Fold in the flour just until incorporated. Add 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and chopped nut and mix in.

Fill prepared foil cups with 1/3 cup of the brownie mixture and top each with additional chocolate chips. Bake 35-40 minutes; do not over bake. A toothpick inserted in center will still have moist crumbs clinging to it. Remove from muffin tin and cool on rack.