As you can see, I have kept my promise, which is to show you how to easily knock up a smoked salmon eggs benedict at home using the delectable croissant tissue loaf as a base, which I promoted a couple of weeks ago … the only tricky part of this recipe is making the perfect hollandaise that will coat the egg, rather than slide off it, and I am going to show you exactly how you get there; once again I cannot stress the importance of simple patience, and a little vigilance … no intelligence required at all!
Gather all your ingredients (STEP 1), and your next step is to slice the croissant tissue loaf (from www.Foodstories.shop) into a thick slice (STEPS 2 TO 4 – one loaf will give you 4 slices) and then separate your smoked salmon (the one I have used is a seasoned smoked salmon I bought from Nature’s Soul Store, 27, Defence Colony Market New Delhi, but you can order & use the plain smoked salmon from www.bigsams.in), into individual slices (STEPS 5 TO 7); you will need one slice per portion.
Preheat your oven to 160°C (bottom heating fan setting), and now move onto the hollandaise. The recipe I am using in fact is that of Felicity Cloake, but I do nonetheless use a bain-marie rather than placing my pot over direct heat.
YIELD: 3 PORTIONS
- 2 large egg yolks
- 125g cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- Salt to taste
Chop your butter into cubes and then place in a bowl with the yolks (STEP 1), add 1 tablespoon of water (STEP 2). Then place the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water on low heat (STEPS 3 & 4) and begin to whisk relentlessly (STEPS 5 & 6) – occasionally lifting the bowl off the pot so that it does not overheat, but continuing to whisk (STEP 7) – until you have reached a thickened but dropping consistency (STEP 8). You don’t want it so thick that it won’t flow at all. Moreover it will thicken further as it waits for the bread to toast and egg to poach. Set aside.
Then place the bread into the oven and heat for 5 mins on each side (STEP 9). In the meanwhile, crack an egg into a small shallow bowl (STEPS 10 & 11), then using the same pot of water, bring it to a boil, then lower to a rolling simmer, circle the water with a wooden spoon (STEP 12), then turn off the heat and immediately slide in the egg (STEPS 13 & 14). Let it poach for exactly 3 minutes; it will then rise towards the surface (STEP 15) at which point lift it out using a slotted spoon (STEP 16). Place on a plate and pat dry with a kitchen towel (STEP 17). Then use an open mould to cut the fraying edges of the egg to make it neat (STEP 18); you can use a round or square one.
Finally, place your oven toasted bread on your serving plate (STEP 1). Place the slice of smoked salmon on top (STEP 2), then the egg (STEP 3) and then spoon the hollandaise generously over and let it coat and slide all the way down and around (STEPS 4 & 5). Garnish with an extra ¼ slice of smoked salmon on one side, and micro-herbs on top and around … the result: a sensual and succulent smoked salmon eggs benedict on crisp & buttery croissant tissue bread! (FINAL IMAGE)
Above: Final Image