Eggs Benedict with Rosemary Pork Loin, Orange Hollandaise and Wild Arugula Salad
We’re all pretty familiar with your standard Eggs Benedict: two poached eggs over a slice of Canadian Bacon or ham, on a toasted English muffin, luxuriously topped with Hollandaise sauce. Well here is a fresh take that makes use of leftovers from Saturday evening’s pork loin roast. Combine them with with farm fresh organic eggs and produce, and crusty sourdough bread to make an elegant Sunday brunch.
This recipe also uses a number of techniques that are good to have in your repertoire.
Rosemary Pork Loin Benedict
INGREDIENTS, serves 6:
For the Orange Hollandaise:
2 egg yolks
2-3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup warm melted or clarified butter
1-2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
a few drops of Tobasco sauce
salt to taste
For the Benedict:
2 lb. Rosemary Roasted Pork Loin
12 slices from a loaf of crusty French or Italian sourdough
good extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 dozen large eggs
water
white distilled vinegar
PROCEDURE:
1. Make the Orange Hollandaise: Combine the yolks with the orange juice in a heatproof bowl and whisk together. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and continue whisking until it is thick and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Take care not to cook the yolks or they will curdle. Remove the bowl from the heat, and slowly whisk in the butter. Add lemon juice, tobasco, and salt to taste. Return the bowl to the pot of water, but off the heat to keep warm as you prepare the remaining ingredients (see How to Make Hollandaise Sauce).
2. Toast the bread and warm the Pork Loin: Preheat the oven to 375°. Arrange the slices of bread on a baking sheet. Brush each one with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toast in the oven just to crisp the edges, about 4 or 5 minutes. Lower the oven to 250°. Cut from the roast 12 slices, each about 1/4″ thick. Arrange a slice of pork loin on each slice of bread and return the baking sheet to the oven to keep warm while you poach the eggs.
3. Poach the Eggs: Fill a 10″ shallow saucepan with water and a splash of vinegar. Bring the water to a bare simmer and poach the eggs in batches of 3 or 4 (see How to Poach Eggs). Blot cooked eggs on a paper towel. Arrange two pieces of warm pork loin and toast on each plate and top each with a poached egg. Top eggs with the warm Hollandaise sauce and garnish with Wild Arugula Salad.
Wild Arugula Salad
INGREDIENTS, serves 4 to 6:
1 large bulb of fennel
1 Tbsp. of fresh squeezed lemon juice
2-3 navel oranges
2 large bunches of arugula (or one of those prewashed boxes)
good extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & pepper
PROCEDURE:
1. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, cut the fennel into paper thin slices, and toss it in a large bowl with the lemon juice. The lemon juice will keep the fennel from turning brown.
2. Remove the peel and pith from the oranges and cut the segments into the bowl of fennel. Squeeze any remaining juice from the cores and add the juice to the bowl as well.
3. Add the arugula to the bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and fresh pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Gently toss all the ingredients together.
Used in the making of this recipe:
Nature’s Promise Organic Pork Loin from Stop & Shop.
Farm Fresh Eggs from Feather Ridge Farm, Lulu Oranges from Deer Creek Heights Ranch, and Wild Arugula from Migliorelli Farm delivered by Basis Good Food to You.
Organic French Sourdough from Bread Alone Bakery.
Butter from Organic Valley.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 4 so far )How to Poach Eggs
Crack each batch of eggs into prep bowls so that you can drop them into the water more quickly.
Poached eggs have such a great number of uses, and there is just something about a perfectly poached egg, that’s just well…perfect. Aside from Eggs Benedict, they are a classic component for Frisee and Lardon Salad, and are delicious with Roast Pork and Ramen Noodles too. They are actually not that difficult to make. Here’s how:
You will need:
eggs
3 or 4 prep bowls
a shallow 10″ saucepan
water
white vinegar
a slotted spoon
Procedure:
1. Fill a 10″ shallow saucepan with water and a splash of vinegar, and bring to a boil. Lower to just a bare simmer. Crack an egg into each of the prep bowls, removing any shell that might end up in the bowls, and discarding any ones with broken yolks. Before you drop them in, give the water a vigorous stir.
Give the water a vigorous stir before the eggs go in.
2. Quickly but gently drop the eggs in one at a time while the water is still moving. If you are poaching a number of eggs, do them in batches of 3 or 4. They will cook more evenly.
Cook eggs in batches of 3 or 4. Use a larger pan and more water if you need to do larger batches.
3. Give the water another gentle stir, keeping to the edges of the pan. This encourages the egg whites to flip over and coat the tops of the yolks, so you don’t end up with a “sunny side up” appearance.
Give the water a gentle stir right after the eggs go in.
4. Cook the eggs for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes. If you have another batch to cook, use this time to crack them into the prep bowls. The eggs are are ready when the whites are completely set but the yolks are still liquid. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water. Blot on paper towels and if desired, use kitchen shears to remove any jagged edges. Serve immediately.
Finished eggs. The bottom two have been trimmed, the top two have not. Eggs on the left were given a gentle stir after going into the water and have a more pronounced yolk. Eggs on the right got more vigorous stir and have a more even coat of white around the yolk. However the top right egg is overcooked. Nobody's perfect.
5. If you are not using the eggs immediately, plunge them into a bowl of ice water to cool. When you are ready to serve them, reheat the eggs in barely simmering water for at least 30 seconds and up to a minute, taking care not to overcook them.
NOTES:
The vinegar is added to the water to help the eggs coagulate as soon as they hit the water instead of breaking up. Don’t add too much vinegar though, or your eggs will take on its flavor.
Fresher eggs hold their shape better and are easier to poach. As eggs age, they start to break down and liquify. Eggs also poach better if they start off cold. As they come to room temperature, the whites get runny and the yolks cook more quickly.
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