Its Sunday morning and the perfect time to catch up from the hectic week and enjoy some down time. What better way than a slow and easy breakfast with friends or family? Ahhh, a lazy Sunday morning with a lingering cup of coffee and soft poached eggs under a blanket of velvety, decedent Hollandaise Sauce. It is a sign of true love and friendship when you get up early and prepare this beautiful breakfast to the delight of your loved ones.

Eggs Benedict is a Classic American Breakfast that was born in the 1800″s in New York City. It is unsure the exact origins but the Waldorf Hotel claims it as their invention as well as Delmonicos in Lower Manhattan. Either way, it has delighted happy foodies for generations.

On this sunny September day in Italy, while the weather is perfect and outdoor dining is at its peak, I invite you to linger on your flower covered balcony enjoying a taste of America under the warm Mediterranean sun.

Video tutorial to make Hollainsaise Sauce and Eggs Benedict

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 cubes of butter (3/4 cup of butter or 6 ounces or 170 grams)

Juice from one lemon

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Salt to taste

Instructions:

Melt butter in a sauce pan, set aside. Separate your eggs with the yolks into a glass or metal bowl. The egg whites you can use for another recipe. How about Pavlova? I will post a recipe for that in a future post. But you can keep the separated egg whites in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Place a sauce pan with water over high heat and bring to a boil. Place the glass or metal bowl with the egg yolks over the simmering water. Whisk the egg yolks adding a spoonful of warm butter into the yolks while whisking between each addition.

The mixture should have thickened and all the butter is incorporated. You can thin the mixture with lemon and vinegar.

The Hollandaise sauce is ready to delight your guests or family!

(Eggs Benedict Recipe is below, after the step by step picture instructions for Hollandaise Sauce)_

Whisk egg yolks in bowl over boiling water and spoonful by spoonful whisk in warm melted butter. Finish with lemon juice and vinegar

Eggs Benedict:

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 English muffins, halved (toast can be substituted)

4 slices Canadian Bacon (regular bacon or sausage can be substituted)

Instructions:

Fry the bacon in a skillet, set aside and keep warm.

Pour water into a saucepan filled 2/3’s of the way full and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a slow simmer. Crack the egg and gently drop it into the gently boiling water. Repeat with all four eggs. If your pan is large enough you can poach all four eggs at the same time. Cover the pan and allow to cook for 4 minutes. Gently lift the egg out of the pan with a spoon.

Toast your English Muffins or toast and butter them.

Place the slice of toast on a plate and top with the bacon and the poached egg.

Spoon the Hollandaise Sauce on the top of the egg and sprinkle a dash of Cayenne Pepper.

Serve with hashbrowns or roasted potatoes.

This breakfast also becomes fabulously Ketogenic when you omit the bread and serve it on a bed of sautéd spinach, steamed asparagus or a portabella mushroom cap.