Poached Eggs with Crumbs & 30s Hollandaise
INGREDIENTS
massive handful of coarse homemade breadcrumbs (or just roughly torn bread)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 eggs
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
HOLLANDAISE
100 g (3 1/2 oz) butter, melted and kept warm
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 egg yolks
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
paracetamol and black coffee
Method
THIS RECIPE IS FOR SELF CARE any day, anyone with a max laze but fancy attitude, big-note brunch hosting, one-night stands you want to keep around, or just people like me who tried to make a traditional hollandaise on Instagram Live and failed. Twice.
Pan-fry the breadcrumbs with the oil over medium heat until crispy and golden. Set aside.
In the same pan, bring 4 cups (1 litre) of water and the vinegar to a simmer and poach the eggs.
I am being incredibly nonchalant about poaching eggs here. There are a hundred tutorials online guaranteed to terrify you. It’s likely I will even have posted one by the time you read this. But my favourite approach is to just be ballsy. Crack the eggs with confidence straight into the pan, maybe make sure they are not stuck to the bottom, turn the heat down a notch and just wait 5 minutes. Check on them if you like by lifting them to see how they’re cooking.
Or, if you want to cheat the hell out of the procedure, just lightly coat a frying pan in oil and bring to medium heat, then crack the eggs in and add 1 cup (250 ml) of water to kind of water-fry them like dumplings. It’s a strange alternative I know, but it does the trick if you can’t handle the anxiety of poaching.
OK, while that’s happening, make the hollandaise. Place all the ingredients in a small powerful food blender and blitz for no more than a few seconds. You could also use a small stick blender. The speed/power of the blend emulsifies the ingredients in the same way double boiling and whisking gently does.
Layer the crumbs, poached eggs and hollandaise on a vessel of your choosing and in whatever order you like, season if you want to, then eat.
Serves 2