RECIPES:

EGGS BENEDICT

Practice making hollandaise sauce for this classic breakfast dish. Then break the mold by making your eggs bennie with a Sauce Choron (hollandaise infused with tomato paste) and smoked salmon or crab cakes. A recipe from The Guy Can’t Cook by Cinda Chavich (Whitecap Books, 2007).

4 English muffins, split and toasted

8 slices Canadian bacon

8 eggs, at room temperature

1 tbsp (15 mL) vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1 cup (250 mL) hollaindaise sauce

cayenne pepper

2 oranges, cut into wedges

Toast the muffins and butter lightly; set aside.

To poach the eggs, make sure they’ve been out of the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to warm up. Heat 2 inches of water in a large, nonstick skillet and add the vinegar or lemon juice and salt. Bring the water to a rolling boil. It’s easiest to slide the eggs into the water (and keeps them intact) if you break them into a cup or sauce first. Have all of the eggs ready (cracked and in saucers) so that you can get them all into the water at once. Tip the eggs into the boiling water then immediately cover the pan and turn off the heat. Poach the eggs for 3 minutes for soft yolks or 4 minutes for firmer yolks. Lift the poached eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon, draining well, and serve  (or put immediately into a bowl of ice water and store in the refrigerator to reheat later with a fast dip in boiling water–a restaurant chefs’ trick).

When ready to serve, microwave the back bacon for a minute or two, just to heat. Place two toasted muffin halves on each warm plate. Top each muffin with a piece of warm back bacon and a poached egg. Drizzle a few tablespoons of hollandaise sauce over each egg and lightly dust with cayenne. Serve each with orange wedges on the side.

Serves 4

TIP: You can up the ante on eggs benedict with creative additions to the sauce (try a tablespoon of tomato paste for tomato hollandaise) or switch the protein (instead of back bacon, use a layer of cold smoked salmon, for example, or lose the muffin altogether and replace it with a hot crab cake.

BLENDER HOLLANDAISE

This is a sauce that’s loaded with calories and fat so save it for special occasions and holidays (Xmas or New Year’s Day). You can also afford a few hollandaise calories at the year’s halfway mark – it’s outstanding drizzled over lightly steamed spring asparagus and poached salmon.

3 egg yolks (tasty, dark orange organic grain-fed egg yolks)

2 tbsp (25 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice

dash of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, melted

In a blender, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne and salt; blend until smooth.

Briefly melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave for 40 seconds until bubbly but not brown. With the blender running at high speed, remove the small centre section of the lid and slowly drizzle the hot butter into the eggs. By the time you’ve finished adding the butter, the sauce should be thick and emulsified, like mayonnaise. Keep the sauce warm in a stainless steel bowl set in warm water, or in a small thermos jar. You can also reheat the sauce, if necessary, in a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water and stir constantly to keep the sauce from breaking (separating). Makes about 1 cup.

MAC AND CHEESE

Real macaroni and cheese doesn’t come out of a box – it starts with veloute or cream sauce that’s combined with shredded cheese (a.k.a. mornay sauce). Use your favourite old cheddar, or a combination of cheeses, and an interesting short pasta like gemeli or orichiette, to take it into gourmet territory. For a more virtuous (but equally silky) sauce, try using one 13-oz (385 mL) can of evaporated milk instead of whole milk and cream — it makes a low-in-fat, yet amazingly creamy, macaroni. Kids like it, too. This recipe from The Guy Can’t Cook, by Cinda Chavich.

3 cups (1/2 pound/225 mL) macaroni or cavatappi (Italian spiral macaroni)

2 tbsp (25 mL) butter

1 heaping tbsp (20 mL) all-purpose flour

1 cup (250 mL) milk

1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream

1/2 tsp (2 mL) Dijon mustard

2 to 3 drops hot pepper sauce

2 cups (500 mL) grated old cheddar (or substitute 1 cup/ 250mL of the cheddar for Monterey Jack, Swiss, pecorino romano or Parmesan)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a big pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente (tender but still firm to the bite). Drain and set aside.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until flour begins to colour. Slowly add the milk and cream, whisking until the sauce is smooth and bubbly. Whisk in the mustard and hot sauce. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cheese, and stir until just melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pasta to the sauce and heat through for 1 minute on medium low heat (be careful not to overheat or the cheese may separate). Serve immediately.

Serves 2 to 4

TIP: If you double this recipe for company (i.e. use a whole pound of pasta and cheese), you can present it with a crispy topping in a 3- to 4-quart gratin dish. Mix about 1 cup (250 mL) breadcrumbs with 2 tbsp (25 mL) melted butter, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over the casserole before broiling for 3 to 5 minutes or until the top is golden. Alternatively, top your mac with extra shredded cheese and brown under the broiler.

And if you want to dress up your mac, stir in some steamed broccoli or sliced spinach, a chopped roasted red pepper or green onion, or even a scoop of fresh tomato salsa from the deli.

©Cinda Chavich 2008

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