How to create a luxury dish from simple, inexpensive ingredients.
Jerome Palayer, the French head chef at ‘El Chiringuito’ on Playa es Cavallet, has invited us to breakfast in his kitchen. He wants to show us a typical French dish that is relatively easy to cook if you follow two or three important rules. Eggs Benedict consists of a poached egg with Hollandaise sauce, toast, bacon and spinach wilted in butter.
INGREDIENTS
– Egg yolks
– Clarified butter
– A little lemon juice
– Salt and pepper
– Free range eggs
– Fresh spinach
– Toast
– Bacon
All relatively simple and inexpensive ingredients from which you can make a luxurious dish.
METHOD
Jerome gives us his secret tip for making Hollandaise sauce, “Many cooks use white wine in Hollandaise sauce. I, on the other hand, use the same quantity of water as egg yolks. It is very important that the sauce has a mild flavour that doesn’t overpower the taste of the eggs.” Whisk the water into the egg yolks using a balloon whisk. “The mixture should be whisked in a figure of 8 so that the whisk makes the sound of a galloping horse on the sides of the bowl. This is absolutely crucial to the success of the sauce.” When the mixture is well incorporated, add the clarified butter – just a drop at a time to begin with – whisking the mixture continually as you do so. For 5 egg yolks, you will need 50 grams of clarified butter. Finally add salt and lemon juice to taste.
When the Hollandaise is ready, quickly wilt the spinach in a little butter and grill the bacon. Carefully poach an egg in simmering water with a little vinegar added. Then heap the spinach on the toast, place the poached egg on top and cover with several spoonfuls of Hollandaise sauce, top with the grilled bacon. Et voilà – bon appétit!
