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Extra Credit: Hollandaise
Ingredients
. Dry White Wine
. White Wine Vinegar
. Shallot
. Black Peppercorns
. Egg Yolks
. Butter
. Lemon Juice
. Cayenne Pepper
Special Tools
. Fine Mesh Sieve
. Heatproof, Nonreactive Bowl
. Whisk
Extra Credit Review
. The warning sidebar listing no fewer than five ways in which you will potentially destroy the sauce may have been unnecessarily alarming to the first-time Hollandaise maker.
. Just the same, read all the instructions several times before commencing.
. Measure, prepare and set aside all components before starting.
. The white wine and vinegar reduction makes for a more flavorful sauce with a lighter zing, and the fine specks of peppercorn that make it through the fine sieve provide visual appeal.
. We did not have any mixture that cooked to the side of the pot, all the better for the potentially tricky estimation that step might have required.
. The accompanying photos in the book were of great help in interpreting the instructions.
. The butter in the recipe could be reduced by half a stick, at any rate for standard-size "large" eggs.
Ingredients
. Artichokes (medium to large)
. Eggs
. Salmon
. Hollandaise
Special Tools
Slotted Spoon or Fine Mesh Sieve
Notes from the Kitchen
. Artichokes can be steamed well in advance as the hot egg will reheat the meaty heart.
. Cut tops off the artichokes before steaming (this was left unclear in the directions).
. Do NOT discard the unused leaves of the artichoke; enjoy them with a nice vinaigrette.
. See "barely simmering" diatribe below, but note that not hot enough can be as poor for results as a rolling boil.
. Some egg white is inevitably lost to the water; largely left intact is essentially the albumen sac.
. Serve with toast fingers (or soldiers).
Notes of Less Pertinence but Equal Importance
. Go with your instinct. You know how to cook. You know what tastes good. If the last half-stick of butter going into the sauce seems like it's a bit much, chances are, it is too much.. There's little harm in a thicker Hollandaise than is called for, as the thicker refrigerates well and—despite the death-warnings to USE IMMEDIATELY—can be reheated and whisked up the next day for a bagel with lox and Hollandaise snack.
. There is little more frustrating than an instruction as prone to interpretation as "barely" simmering, which by its very definition indicates a condition that exists before simmering, but necessary to identify without verging into the simmering situation, as points that have not yet been achieved tend to be. The only thing more frustrating might be the "continuous soup simmer," which defies all and any effort to effect.
Eating the Results
Laura says: This may be my new favorite way to eat eggs. Each component is just the right size to impart just the right amount of its particular flavor to every bite. And getting a bit of each—yolk, white, Hollandaise, salmon and artichoke heart—was one of the most wonderful mouthfuls ever. It's also inspiring in the relative ease of its composition to create a fun and elegant breakfast treat for guests.
Claudine says: Really delightful. The four different flavors, to my surprise, made a wonderful combination. I wouldn't have thought to pair eggs and artichokes (or artichokes and smoke salmon for that matter) but it made for a truly remarkable dish. Keeping a few rows of leaves intact to create the basket for the poached egg, Hollandaise and smoked salmon, makes the dish look quite fancy and the end product belies the ease of creating it. And, as with most artichoke dishes, half the fun is in the deconstruction; people like to be involved in the making of their meal, even if it's just taking an artichoke leaf off to dip in Hollandaise and egg yolk.
Useful Links
Steamed Artichokes with Poached Eggs and Hollandaise Recipe
Cooking School Eggs 101
Incredible, Edible Egg
