Eggs Benedict, Bacon & Waffles

I don't think I'd ever ordered eggs benedict in my life until about 4 months ago, and since then I've gotten it almost every time I'm out for breakfast. It's so damn good! A few months ago we went to Under the High Wheel, a new-ish restaurant on Whyte that has a mouthwatering selection of sweet and savory crepes and waffles on its menu. I got the eggs benedict with bacon on a Belgian waffle. I saw those words on the menu and there was no other option.

I've never thought to make eggs benedict at home, because I'm not very good at poaching eggs, and I always thought Hollandaise sauce was hard to make and easy to screw up. Turns out both are easier than I thought. And the results are deceivingly impressive. 

If you don't have a waffle iron, you could keep it traditional and serve your eggs on an English muffin... even a toaster waffle would be good. I've included my waffle recipe just in case. 

Ohhh how I love breakfast!

Eggs Benedict, Bacon & Waffles

Makes enough for two hungry people, with 2-3 extra waffles for freezing, toasting, or eating.

Waffles

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

Hollandaise Sauce

1 egg yolk

1/8 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

A few drops hot sauce

3 tablespoons butter

Poached Eggs

4 eggs

1 tsp vinegar

Salt & pepper to taste

Tarragon (dried or fresh/finely chopped) - this is optional

4-8 slices of bacon (or however much you want)

For the waffles: Turn on your waffle iron and lightly oil it with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together; make a well in the centre and set aside. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then beat in the milk and oil. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients all at once and gently mix until only just moistened - the batter will be lumpy. Bake waffles according to the instructions for your iron. When mine are done I lift them out with a fork and put them directly on the rack in a warm oven (as low as my oven will go - 170°F/77°C) to keep them warm while I prepare other things.

Meanwhile, get that bacon fried up!

For the Hollandaise sauce: It's easiest if you use a small blender. Blend the yolk, Dijon, lemon juice and hot sauce for a few seconds until smooth. Heat the butter until melted and hot, but not boiling. With the blender running, very slowly add the butter to the yolk mixture in a tiny, steady stream. To keep warm, fill the sink with warm water and place the pitcher part of the blender in it. If you don't have a blender, you make it the old fashioned way.

For the poached eggs: Boil a large pot of water, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the vinegar. Crack an egg into a dish and then gently tip it into the water, getting the dish as close to the water as possible and choosing a "calm" looking area (i.e. a section of water with few bubbles). Use a slotted spoon to kind of delicately scoop the egg whites onto the egg, keeping it in as much of a contained little cluster as possible. Repeat this for the rest of your eggs, working fast, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Leave them for about 3 minutes, or just until the whites look cooked. Remove them one by one with the slotted spoon and place on a plate with paper towel on it. (I found this video helpful).

To assemble: a layer of bacon, then two eggs, then Hollandaise, then salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of tarragon. I'm getting hungry just writing about this.