Monday, August 27, 2007

Champagne Brunches

Ahh, champagne brunches. I miss these. When I lived in New York, sunny days were spent brunching at Cafe Felix, Balthazar, Country Cafe, Pastis and others with good friends. Saturday morning, I woke up and decided to recreate this New York tradition in my Chicago kitchen.

I made a variation of Eggs Benedict. I added tomato, spinach and artichoke hearts to an English muffin with Canadian bacon and poached egg. Each bite was washed down with a sip of Veuve.



My mother gave me Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1 and 2 for Christmas two years ago. Her Hollandaise recipe is full-proof and so easy "an 8 year old" can make it.


Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
2 tb lemon juice
4 oz butter
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Put in the electric blender the egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Step 2: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Blend it manually and VERY slowly
Step 3: Add the hot butter to the hollandaise sauce in the blender. Blend at full speed until the sauce get thick.
Step 4: Serve immediately.
Bon appetit!




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