Eggs Royale are a version of Eggs Benedict that substitutes smoked salmon for ham. You can buy smoked salmon or cure it at home.
Servings2
Ingredients
For the Hollandaise Sauce:
2 egg yolks
15 ml (1 tablespoon) water
113 grams (1/4 pound) unsalted butter, cut in pieces
Juice of two lemons
Salt to taste (omit if using salted butter)
For the eggs:
4 eggs
4 ml (1 scant teaspoon) white vinegar
2 large slices of smoked salmon
2 English muffins, slit and toasted
Parsley sprigs and lemon slices for garnish
Preparation
For the Hollandaise sauce (prepare and keep ready) :
Beat the yolks in 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of water over a double boiler until they begin to thicken. Work the butter in a little at a time, allowing each piece to be incorporated before adding the next. When the butter is all in and the sauce is fairly thick, then add the lemon juice slowly, beating all the while. Continue beating until a rich sauce-like consistency is achieved. Salt to taste. Keep warm at room temperature.
Hint: Should the mixture begin to separate before the addition of the lemon juice add the juice immediately beating furiously to save the mixture; however, this doesn’t always work.
For the eggs: Heat a pan of water to just below a boil. Add the vinegar. Carefully break the eggs into the water keeping each egg at a little distance from the next in a clockwise rotation so that you know which one went in first.
Allow the eggs to gently poach. Have a slotted spoon handy to remove them from the water.
Meanwhile, toast the muffins and paint them with some cream cheese. Set a half slice of smoked salmon on each and put them on plates. The eggs should now be ready. Starting with the one that went in first pull them from the water with a slotted spoon and allow to drain a few seconds onto a towel held under the spoon. Carefully place a poached egg on each salmon topped muffin. When all eggs are in place, top with Hollandaise sauce, garnish with parsley and lemon slice and serve immediately.
Edward Bottone is a food and lifestyle journalist based in Philadelphia, whose works have appeared in Philadelphia Magazine, The Bermudian, London Times Express, Islands Magazine, and the online magazine Table Matters where he was also Editor. He has also published academic papers on Tourism and Taste.
He is a former chef and restaurateur with establishments in Philadelphia and Bermuda, a TV and Radio presenter, and Assistant Professor teaching a range of courses, including Gastronomy and Culture, at Drexel University and Delaware Valley University. Reach him at [email protected]