Italian Eggs Benedict

In college, my friends and I would go to brunch at a restaurant in San Diego called Snooze. We would literally wait for two hours to be seated because the food was totally worth it. Snooze offers a variety of different types of eggs Benedicts. My favorite was always the Italian Eggs Benedict. This is my version of that dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of ciabatta bread
• 8 slices of prosciutto
• Brie cheese
• 8 eggs
• Fresh basil
• Balsamic glaze
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 oz of cream cheese
• ½ cup melted butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

Begin by boiling water in a deep pot or egg poaching pan. When close to boiling, add vinegar which will help keep the egg in place for that perfect poach. Carefully pour egg into water. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until white is set but the yolk is still runny. I have always struggled with poaching eggs (I would have to poach 4 just to get 1 good one). But an egg-poaching pan has changed my life and made poaching SO easy. See below for the pan I use. I highly recommend it!

Meanwhile, place egg yolks, cream cheese, butter and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Then pour mixture into the bowl of a double boiler (basically a mixing bowl placed on top of a saucepan filled with simmering water – see how to use one here). Constantly whisk the mixture in the double boiler for several minutes. You want to make sure not to let the eggs get too hot, or else they will scramble. After 3 to 5 minutes of whisking, remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble the eggs Benedict, start by toasting the ciabatta bread in a 375 degree oven until bread is golden brown. Spread cheese on each slice of bread. Top with a slice of thinly cut prosciutto. Then place a poached egg on top of the prosciutto. Pour hollandaise sauce over the egg. Then drizzle with balsamic glaze and top with a piece of basil.

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