Why three servings, Deb? I do know it’s an odd quantity. However it’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 over 1/2-cup of hollandaise and I discover 1.5 tablespoons per egg to be the best quantity to cap every poached egg.
*Earlier than you start, that is a very powerful factor to verify: Is the blade of your upright or immersion blender low sufficient to the bowl or cup you’re immersing it in that it might probably choose up simply two egg yolks? If not, you’re going to have a really exhausting time getting the sauce emulsified. Don’t fear, you may nonetheless whisk it by hand (subsequent instructions).
In an upright blender or a bowl/glass in 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 just a few 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 shortly.
Make the hollandaise sauce by hand: Seize a medium-large bowl. I extremely suggest inserting 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 completely till mixed and loosened up. Whisking the entire time, start drizzling the melted butter in just a few drops at a time, then in a really skinny stream. You’ll have to whisk your entire time you’re drizzling the butter in, guaranteeing none is left unmixed/pooling on prime. While you’re carried out, the combination ought to 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 splash 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 cook dinner it till it’s simply wilted. Switch it to a colander and press as a lot of the surplus water out as potential, or you may 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 cook dinner, stirring, till they only 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 just a few 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 delicate 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 superbly 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. If you happen to’re feeling extra assured, you may poach two or three a time.
Toast your English muffins: Again within the massive skillet you used to cook 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 cook dinner within the butter till golden brown. Repeat with extra butter and remaining English muffins.
Ultimately, meeting time: Prepare backside half of toasted muffins on a platter and place a small pile of the sautéed spinach on prime of every. Add a poached egg and end with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the hollandaise. Season with salt, pepper, and a splash of sizzling sauce, if you want. End with prime 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: If you happen to’d prefer to poach eggs forward of time, it completely works. You’ll be able to rewarm them by gently reducing 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 may be carried out, however it’s trickier as a result of the emulsion can simply break. I like to position the bowl of hollandaise in a big bowl of warm-to-hot (however not steamy) faucet water and try to whisk each minute or two till it’s loosened and smoothed out. When the water cools, substitute it with extra heat water.
