Sometimes, I get up stuuuuuuupid early and make a fancy breakfast for the wee ones (and my husband if he wants but he almost never has breakfast). There is never any guarantee the children will actually eat whatever I felt like cooking at the crack of dawn. We have learned that while waffles, muffins, and other various sweet breakfast treats get all three of them going, hollandaise doesn’t cut it. I tried this on them last year and they weren’t into it, so I also made some chocolate chip muffins muffins for the littlest ones and some bacon and cheddar biscuits for the oldest, juuust in case and sure enough, they weren’t having it.
Dude. I can’t eat 1 cup of butter and 4 egg yolks. Can I? No, I’m pretty sure my heart would like, stop right there in protest. It’s so good though it’s hard to have around. Either make it for a group or take it to your neighbor’s house ASAP.
As per instructions in the book, I clarified the butter before I started and it was the first time I had done it. I was so pleased with myself! It’s one of those magic things in the kitchen that you don’t see the magic in until you actually do it. So, as you probably know, butter is butterfat, milk solids and water. When you clarify butter, you’re removing the milk solids and the water, leaving just the butterfat. It sounds, well, amazing but not something my doctor would approve of! Generally clarified butter is great for sautéing with because it burns at a much higher temperature than actual butter, but because it’s also crazy rich and flavorful, it’s very good for dishes where the butter flavor takes center stage.
Hollandaise Sauce – via Cooks Book
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lightly crushed white peppers
4 egg yolks
1 cup unsalted butter
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of cayenne pepper
Start melting the butter over medium-low heat. The white goo at the top is the milk solids separating. As the milk solids bubble up, skim them off with a spoon until you’re left with the pure butterfat. | |
First (not pictured) mix vinegar, water and peppercorns in a small pot and bring to a bowl. Lower heat and simmer for 1 minute (should be reduced to 2 1/2 tablespoons). Remove it from heat and set aside. Now bring a small pot of water to almost a boil and set a heat proof bowl over it, slip your yolks into it and whisk, whisk, whisk. Whisk your little heart out. | |
Now, with the egg yolks whisked into submission, remove from heat and whisk in the butter. Theeeen whisk in the cooled vinegar mixture and then the lemon and cayenne. | |
Now sneak a taste with a crust of bread. The French always say ‘a crust a bread’, like a soft piece of bread isn’t worthy or something. If your sauce starts to separate, it’s totally a visual thing it will still be amazing, but if you need to fix it (or as The Cook’s Book says ‘returned to respectability’) by slowly whisking in a fresh egg yolk. Pour over a gently fried egg on an English muffin or biscuit. | |
Yummy grown up breakfast food on a weekday! No way!
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These were for Wee One #1 and the kids next door. I made a bunch of biscuits the night before and just topped them with bacon and shredded cheddar. Then I popped them back in the oven for about 15 minutes to melt the cheese. They totally cleaned the platter! |