Why three servings, Deb? I do know it’s an odd quantity. But it surely’s half a dozen eggs and an ordinary 6-pack of English muffins, so it’s simply doubled. Plus, I don’t discover that everybody at all times eats a 2-egg serving, particularly if that is half of a bigger brunch unfold. This recipe yields a bit of over 1/2-cup of hollandaise and I discover 1.5 tablespoons per egg to be the perfect quantity to cap every poached egg.
*Earlier than you start, that is crucial factor to test: Is the blade of your upright or immersion blender low sufficient to the bowl or cup you’re immersing it in that it may decide up simply two egg yolks? If not, you’re going to have a really onerous time getting the sauce emulsified. Don’t fear, you possibly can nonetheless whisk it by hand (subsequent instructions).
In an upright blender or a bowl/glass to your immersion blender, mix the yolks at excessive pace till they’re mixed and loosened up. Operating the machine the entire time, drizzle within the melted butter a couple of drops at a time, then a spoonful at a time, and at last in an extended, skinny stream, till all of it’s added. The sauce ought to have thickened rapidly.
Make the hollandaise sauce by hand: Seize a medium-large bowl. I extremely advocate putting it on a moist paper towel in order that it stays in place when you whisk. Add the egg yolks to the bowl and whisk totally till mixed and loosened up. Whisking the entire time, start drizzling the melted butter in a couple of drops at a time, then in a really skinny stream. You’ll must whisk your entire time you’re drizzling the butter in, making certain none is left unmixed/pooling on high. While you’re finished, the combination must be pretty thick.
End the hollandaise, each strategies: Season with kosher salt and half a tablespoon of lemon juice, then mix or whisk to mix. Style once more and add extra salt, remaining lemon juice, and/or a touch or two of sizzling sauce, to style. Switch hollandaise to a bowl and set it apart when you put together the spinach and eggs. In case your kitchen runs chilly, relaxation the bowl of hollandaise inside a bigger bowl of lukewarm water.
Put together the spinach: Put a small puddle of water within the backside of a big skillet (we’ll use it once more to toast the English muffins) and warmth it over medium-high. As soon as the water is simmering, add the spinach and prepare dinner it till it’s simply wilted. Switch it to a colander and press as a lot of the surplus water out as doable, or you possibly can wring it in fistfuls after it has cooled barely.
Dry your skillet whether it is nonetheless moist. Warmth 1 tablespoon of butter over medium warmth. Add shallots and prepare dinner, stirring, till they simply flip golden brown on the edges. Return the spinach to the skillet and season to style with salt and black pepper. Stir into the shallots, warming it. Switch spinach-shallot combination to a bowl and put aside.
Poach your eggs: [For more detailed instructions, read How To Poach An Egg, Smitten Kitchen-Style.] Warmth a saucepan with a couple of inches of water in it. Add a splash of white vinegar, if you want; some discover that this helps the egg set. Place your first egg in a small dish; it’s at all times simpler for me to tip the dish into the water vs. cracking the egg proper into it. When the water is slightly below simmering — i.e. you’ll see tiny bubbles throughout the underside of the pot however the floor is just not effervescent; in case your water has begun to simmer, scale back the warmth so it stops — use a spoon or utensil to create a mild whirlpool within the pot. Tip the egg into the whirlpool. Monitor the warmth of the pot in order that the water doesn’t come to a full simmer or boil. In 3 to five minutes, you’ll have a wonderfully poached egg. I search for an egg that wobbles, however just a bit, when nudged with the spoon. Use a slotted spoon to take away it from the pan; repeat with remaining eggs. In the event you’re feeling extra assured, you possibly can poach two or three a time.
Toast your English muffins: Again within the massive skillet you used to prepare dinner the spinach, soften 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high warmth. Break up two of your English muffins open and place them face-down within the pan, letting them prepare dinner within the butter till golden brown. Repeat with extra butter and remaining English muffins.
Finally, meeting time: Organize backside half of toasted muffins on a platter and place a small pile of the sautéed spinach on high of every. Add a poached egg and end with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the hollandaise. Season with salt, pepper, and a touch of sizzling sauce, if you want. End with high half of toasted English muffin and serve straight away. Bask within the glow of your unparalleled cooking expertise, and please don’t neglect to ask me subsequent time.
Do forward: In the event you’d wish to poach eggs forward of time, it completely works. You may rewarm them by gently decreasing them right into a simmering pot of water for 30 to 60 seconds, or in a bowl of sizzling water for a pair minutes. Rewarming hollandaise sauce might be finished, nevertheless it’s trickier as a result of the emulsion can simply break. I like to put the bowl of hollandaise in a big bowl of warm-to-hot (however not steamy) faucet water and try and whisk each minute or two till it’s loosened and smoothed out. When the water cools, substitute it with extra heat water.
