Perhaps I'd call them Eggs Cumberbatch. :-)

In the history of my kitchen learning, it seems the basic sauces have been last to come around. Not for lack of particular interest or fear or anything like that. Mostly that I just haven't come to them yet.

Recently, I opted to try Hollandaise sauce in response to a fantastic Eggs Benedict I tried at the Flat Iron Grill here in Issaquah.  They make a crab-cake Benedict with an ancho hollandaise sauce, and it was to die for!  I decided that I had to have a go at it, and made a worthy replica.

The basics to a Hollandaise aren't too difficult, though there seems to be a few permutations that vary how the final product will turn out.

The basic idea is that you're building an emulsion between the egg yolk and the butter, which involves low heat, and a lot of whisking.

Even the butter is up for debate.  Some choosing cubed butter in the hot yolk/water mixture and others prefer either whole melted butter or clarified butter.  The melted butter, one way or another seems easiest, and whole versus clarified seemed to produce a richer flavor.

The big things to keep in mind are that if the eggs overheat, you'll scramble them.  And if you don't whisk well, your emulsion will break.  Remember to keep whisking through the entire process. It not only keeps the emulsion going, but it adds in air, which makes it light and wonderful.

I was craving eggs Benedict this morning, and opted to tweak it a little.  My love isn't fond of soft eggs, so I opted to fry hers over-hard.  I love a good runny yolk, but rather than break out the saucepan to poach mine, I just fried mine over-easy.  I suppose I could have just overcooked hers while I poached mine.  I may try that next time.

Ham wasn't really what I had in mind, so I picked up some smoked salmon to lay under my eggs.  The saltiness is just what the doctor ordered, and the only thing, in hindsight, I forgot to add was a sprinkle of capers.  The beauty of thinking beyond your current dish is that not only can you plan to fix your mistakes, but you can also think of new permutations of flavors and tweaks to the existing flavors.

With those thoughts in mind, I think I'll call it Eggs Cumberbatch.  Much like regular eggs Benedict, but with a little bit more class. :-)

A Brilliant Breakfast

Back home in New Mexico, breakfast burritos are a dime a dozen.  They are good, filling, spicy, and tasty. That may be why I don't make them as often for myself.  I used to eat them all the time.

But after having sampled some recently from a local guy whom is almost famous for them, I couldn't resist whipping up a batch of my own.

Really, breakfast burritos can contain anything and everything.  They are great for cleaning out the fridge of veggies, meats, and sauces.

I opted for the basics.  Eggs, potato, veggies, and meats.  I cheated a little on a few things, but first thing in the morning, you don't always want to spend time prepping.

I had whole wheat tortilla wraps that I heated up.

I tossed about two tablespoons of olive oil into a hot cast iron skillet and tossed in a small handful of frozen tater tots.  Any kind of potato would do, and you can even season up and fry some diced potato if you like, but since they take a while to cook, I like to use frozen options.  Once those soften up and break up a little, I add diced green pepper, diced onion, and a heaping teaspoon of canned diced green chiles (fresh are better, but those are hard to find out this way.)  I kept stirring them until they just started to soften.  I then added the meats (in this case shredded ham and turkey cold-cuts) and let them brown a bit.

Meanwhile, I beat 3 large eggs, and when the meat and veg are ready, I pour it into the skillet together and stir it around.  I shake a bit of Johnny's over it and then keep it turning and cooking.

Once it's nearly done, I like to toss on some shredded cheese to taste.  I like a lot, but you can put it as much or as little as you like.

Once its ready, I spoon it all onto a heated wrap and toss in a spoonful or two of black beans.  Then I tuck the ends, and roll it up.

For me, I wanted them to be even more zingy, so I opened a can of green chile enchillada sauce which I poured over the burrito and then garnished with finely chopped scallions.  I also added a little sour cream to mine, but again, go with what you like.

It's true of any of the ingredients.  You could include diced tomatoes, bacon, cilantro, diced steak or leftover tenderloin, Spanish rice, black olives, other types of beans, corn, or any other interesting combination of things you might enjoy.   Your imagination is the limit, but your inventiveness will be rewarded!