As a child I always had a deep appreciation for the first meal of the day. This was the only meal in which I did not have to eat veggies to get to the good stuff. Gooie, sticky, sweet, syrupy, jelly jams adorned most of my favorite breakfast foods which just happened to be various incarnations of spongy, buttered breads designed to encase and absorb. Pancakes, waffles and French toast were merely the vessels that delivered the sweet delights. My favorite time in the world to explore this blessed meal was while we were traveling. This was the perfect opportunity to escape my mother valiant attempts at substituting the fat and sugar for whole grains and a variety of healthy alternatives. It was a special treat to be able to order fluffy, light and far from whole grain pancakes and receive what looked like a gravy boat of heavy, sweet amber maple syrup to do with as I pleased. So it never occurred to me to ever order anything from a menu that did not involve sugar.
One lovely summer we traveled to Palo Alto, California and stayed at one of the most magical hotels I had ever seen. Dinah’s Shack (as it was called) was not a shack at all! My young mind was blown by this magical hotel with jungle like grounds, winding paths with hopping baby tree frogs, a lagoon like pool, and a huge Koi pond that snaked through the entire property like a dwarfed Amazon River. As a child from Arizona my eyes were widened and amazed by the green plants and wildlife. I felt like Mary Ann from “Gilligan’s Island”, except my accommodations were far better. Dinah’s Shack had a lovely pool side restaurant with a remarkable menu. There were so many items I had never ever heard of. One morning as my family, and extended family sat by the sparkling blue pool we were served breakfast. I stretched and leaned in my seat to see each plate as it was laid in front of its beaming owner. With the recognition of each dish I became increasingly proud of my decision to order cinnamon French Toast. Just then I saw a dish I did not recognize. As I recall it was my Grammy’s plate. I asked her what it was and she replied, “Eggs Benedict.” I asked her, “What's an Eggs Benedict?”
My Grammy went on to describe a dish skillfully crafted from ingredients that were (undoubtedly) imported from sophisticated food cultures like Canada, England, and Holland. This is what I believed she told me about this exotic breakfast, “Well on the bottom is an English muffin, then a piece of Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and Holland-day sauce.” She then cut a piece for me and gave me a bite. My little mind was swimming with questions! What kind of bird does a poached egg come from? How did the Canadians get their bacon to look and taste just like ham? Holland-day sauce? This is so good I want to know what their “night sauce” is like!
Even after learning the true name of the ingredients I remained impressed with this dish. I never lost the feeling that this dish was complicated, and very high brow. It would always remind me of Dinah’s Shack. So when I needed to make a breakfast/brunch dish that was fancy, and refined I of course thought of Eggs Benedict. I looked into making this dish and found it to be rather simply and heart tremblingly fattening. The first time I made it I was still eating gluten and dairy. While I was not the picture of health, or healthy choices I did find it slightly disturbing that the recipe called for several egg yolks and more than a stick of butter. All the while knowing it would drown another egg and more yoke.
After many years of tinkering with the recipe and eventually becoming unable to eat half the ingredients, I came up with a slightly less deadly way of preparing it.
There are a couple ways of assembling this dish. You are more than welcome to keep with tradition and replace the English muffin with a gluten free counterpart, but I have been known to create a bed of avocados, heirloom tomatoes, or a baked portabello mushroom instead. This does reduce the carbs, and allows you to feel full but a little less stuffed. Again feel free to place these veggies on top of a bread alternative as well. To each his own.
This recipe can be customized to fit your tastes and dietary needs. Instead of meat you can use marinated tofu, or alternatively smoked salmon is lovely. Add whatever veggies you would like though today I have used sweet, plump heirloom tomatoes, and creamy ripe avocados. I have also chosen to use wild boar bacon as a garnish instead of Canadian bacon. Wild boar bacon is incredibly lean and flavorful, and I love to blacken it a bit and sprinkle it on top. I find this technique pretty, and helpful in cutting through the layers of this dish. I highly recommend turkey bacon as well. Here we go…
Eggs Bennies (serves 2 to 4)
- ½ lb of (raw) wild boar bacon (alternatively you can use turkey bacon)
- 1 to 2 poached eggs per person
- 2 Heirloom Tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 avocados thinly sliced
- A pinch of Sea Salt
- 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
Hollandaise (AKA Holland-Day) Sauce
- 1/4 cup Earth Balance Margarine
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder
- few grains of pepper
- 2 tablespoons of plain soy (or soy alternative) creamer
- 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Separate the yokes and whites. Save the whites for the benedicts. Squeeze the lemon, and set the juice aside.
Chop, and crisp the bacon at this time. Chopping it first will help it cook faster.
Fill a large pan with water, add vinegar and salt. Allow the water to boil. Take the bowl of egg whites you have saved and gently tip the lip of the bowl in to the water allowing the egg whites to slowly drift into the water. It will create one large pool. This is ok, because we are going to use pieces of this for the dish. Make sure the water is gently boiling. Reduce heat if needed.
If you are using “bread” lightly toast it at this time. Arrange veggies on toasted bread or in place of it.
Once the egg whites have set remove from water and place on a paper towel.
Melt the margarine in a sauce pan. (you can use a double boiler if you want). Add the pepper and garlic powder. Make sure the heat is low and then briskly whisk the yolks in to the butter. It will quickly thicken, add creamer and the sauce will be smooth and ready to serve immediately. Layer veggies, egg whites, sauce, and sprinkle with bacon.
Enjoy!
