"Breakfast Anytime" Crab Eggs Benedict
When it comes to the topic of breakfast for dinner, it seems there are two types of people. One says, “Breakfast is to be served only in the morning. Period.” The other says, “Breakfast? I love breakfast. Anytime.”I’ve developed a hearty “breakfast anytime” dish – crab eggs Benedict with an herbed Hollandaise — that I hope you’ll agree is a delicious meal, day or night.Remember, “Always ‘Stay Legal,’ and never take more than you’ll eat.”
Ingredients
Hollandaise Ingredients:
- 1.5 tbs. shallot minced
- 3 tbs. white wine or champagne vinegar
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. thyme chopped
- ½ tsp. oregano chopped
- ½ tsp. rosemary chopped
- Juice from one lemon
- Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
Eggs Benedict Ingredients:
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 11- ounce bag fresh baby spinach
- 1 lb cooked crab meat
- 1 loaf crusty bread 1-inch thick slices
- 8 eggs poached
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the Hollandaise Sauce: Place the shallots and herbs in a small sauté pan and pour in the vinegar. Simmer over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, reducing until nearly dry. Set aside.
- Fill a medium saucepan about one-third with water and simmer over medium-low heat. Place a metal bowl over the pan; it should not touch the water.
- Add egg yolks to the heated bowl and whisk the egg yolks together. Lightly whisk in the hot water. Continue to whisk slowly, being careful to keep all the yolk mixture in the bottom of the bowl. Whisk until the yolks thicken, about 4 minutes. In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat; gently spoon off any frothy white solids that form on the top.
- Remove the yolk mixture from the heat and whisk in the shallot/herb reduction.
- Vigorously whisk the egg yolks while slowly pouring in the warm melted butter. Since this step almost requires three hands, try making a circle out of a rolled up towel to steady the bowl while doing the whisking.
- If the sauce is too thick, gradually whisk in a bit of hot water a spoonful at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- Build the Benedict: In a medium saucepan, melt the stick of butter over low to medium heat; add the crab.
- While the crab is warming, poach the eggs. Set aside.
- In a sauté pan over medium heat add a couple teaspoons of butter from the crab pot and add the baby spinach. Slightly wilt the spinach. Remove from heat.
- Toast the bread.
- To assemble the dish, plate two pieces of toast per plate and top with a spoonful of wilted spinach. Add a heaping spoonful of crabmeat and one poached egg. Top with a couple generous spoonfuls of the hollandaise. Garnish and enjoy.
