March 26, 2012
Recently I went to San Diego for a week-long conference for work. We were all so excited to leave the gloomy gray New England area to hit the sunny, golden shores of San Diego. Perhaps a trip to the zoo was in store. We all packed strappy sandals, sleeveless sundresses, and multiple pairs of sunglasses in the hopes that we would enjoy some Spring Break-like weather during the off hours of the conference.
Boy, did we get tricked.
We left New England, flew for an entire day, only to experience what San Diego natives called the “Great Storm of 2012”-meaning cold weather, lots of rain, and apparently no available taxi services in the immediate vicinity of our hotel. What a bummer. The worst part? Friends back home kept telling us how amazing the weather had been here in New England while we were gone.
Oh, well.
One morning, after attending early lectures and realizing that we had a three hour break before we needed to head back to the convention center, a couple of friends and I literally ran through the rain to get some brunch at a local restaurant (ironically named the St. Tropez Cafe.)
And then, I got a little personal sunshine in the form of eggs benedict. I have made a Caprese version of eggs benedict before, but now I was happy to try another version: one with fresh tomato, avocado, and a perfectly poached egg on top. Something completely appropriate in California, in my opinion. Coming home, I realized that I wanted another go at making homemade hollandaise sauce, but I realized that I might make it a little spicy by adding in some sriracha sauce to taste. Best. Decision. Ever. The creamy buttery hollandaise sauce was simply perfect over the eggs. Dear California, I will forgive you for the gloomy weather. Thanks for inspiring a new breakfast (or brunch) recipe for me.
California Eggs Benedict
Servings: 2
Ingredients
For the hollandaise sauce:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Pinch black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, or to taste
For the eggs benedict:
2 eggs, poached
2 English muffins, split, toasted and buttered
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (or whatever cheese you like)
For garnish: Sea salt, green onions, black pepper
Instructions
1.For the hollandaise sauce:In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water set on medium heat, whisk the butter and egg yolks together until smooth.
2. Very…very slowly, add the 1/2 cup boiling water to the mixture, whisking constantly. (You do not want the eggs to cook).
3. Whisking constantly, heat the mixture until it is thickened and reads 160 degrees on your instant-read thermometer. (It took mine about 10 minutes or so).
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
5. Gently whisk in the lemon juice, black pepper, garlic salt, sea salt, and sriracha. Serve warm.
6. To assemble the Eggs Benedict:Place the cheese on top of the toasted English muffin. Top with tomato, avocado, and poached egg. Lightly drizzle the hollandaise sauce over top. Garnish with fresh chives, salt, and pepper, if using.
Source: Hollandaise sauce adapted fromCook’s Illustrated.
Filed in:Breakfast | Curvy Carrot Original | Eggs | Sauces/GarnishesTagged in: breakfast | brunch | curvy carrot original | eggs | hollandaise
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March 26, 2012 - 8:42 am
Maureen @ org*smic Chef - I made eggs benedict for Sunday breakfast sans sriracha. Now I have something to improve upon. 🙂
March 26, 2012 - 1:55 pm
Emily (New York, NY) - Yes – weather has been teasing me here in New York! It was gorgeous, sunny, and warm last week and rather chilly and windy today. But onto the food…
Mmm! I’m usually a “keep it simple with scrambled eggs” type of girl but these just look so yummy. Also – love me some avocado! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
March 26, 2012 - 2:31 pm
Paula @ Dishing the Divine - I live in CA and love how any recipe with avocado in it automatically becomes CA cuisine. 🙂 These look heavenly. 🙂
March 26, 2012 - 5:45 pm
Abby - Beautiful! Love the sriracha hollandaise. Can I ask the secret to your poached eggs? They are perfect!
March 26, 2012 - 8:34 pm
srlacy - Hi Abby-
I have recently been cracking the eggs into a ramekin before poaching and adding some white vinegar. It helps congeal the whites but doesn’t affect the flavor. I also add a splash of vinegar to the boiling water. Before adding the eggs to the pot, I use a long spoon to swirl the water to create a vortex. Then I quickly drop the eggs in. The swirling water helps to keep the whites all together. It’s taken a lot of practice 🙂
March 27, 2012 - 8:57 am
Jacqueline - Yum! I love eggs benedict! Found your site via Taste Spotting’s site. 🙂 Would it be ok to link to your site? I love showing off the great recipe’s or designs people create. This looks great!! 🙂
March 27, 2012 - 9:24 am
srlacy - Hi Jacqueline-
Nice to meet you. Sure, you can link back to the site. Thanks for the kind words.
Shanon
March 30, 2012 - 10:41 am
The Sriracha Cookbook - So glad that you discovered the magic that is Sriracha Hollandaise! Seriously, how is it sooooo good? BEAUTIFUL pics by the way! Oh, and sorry your trip to San Diego was right around that gloom. We usually only get about five days of crappy weather a year, and it sounds like your trip was perfectly planned to be right in the middle of it. Glad to know you at least came out of it with some killer California Benedict!
Viva la Sriracha,
– Randy Clemens –
Author, The Sriracha Cookbook and
The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance
March 30, 2012 - 11:26 am
Karen - I pinned this last night and 9 hours later it has 115 repins. Winner! Can’t wait to make this.
April 1, 2012 - 7:41 pm
Charlotte - I made this today, and my roommates and I pretty much died and went to heaven. One of my roommates told me I was “a magical human.’ Definitely a keeper. The Hollandaise sauce was so much easier than I expected, and it was the perfect consistency! The one batch of it made about twice as much as I needed for all 3 of us to have 2 Benedicts each, so I’ll be double boiling the leftovers again tomorrow to have on my eggs. I also used Queso Fresco instead of Monterey.
April 16, 2012 - 5:14 pm
Around the Web: Eggs Benedict Day | SocialCafe Magazine - […] California Eggs Benedict byThe Curvy Carrot printDigg Diggvar dd_offset_from_content = 60;More from SCM Blog:Christmas Gingerbread House Ideas Easy Moist Chocolate Sheet CakeExtraordinary Gingerbread House About SCM […]
May 17, 2012 - 8:18 am
Reality | left of south - […] Image from The Curvy Carrot […]
June 14, 2012 - 6:15 pm
Charlotte - Made this again for dinner tonight, but halved the Hollandaise recipe this time since it made so much last time…I think the heat distribution wasn’t as great with the smaller amount though, because it broke while I was heating it. I immediately took it off the heat and vigorously whisked in a tablespoon of cold water until it became emulsified again. Then I returned it to the stovetop and slowly added lemon juice while I continued whisking it for about 10 minutes. I had to use extra juice, but it ended up tasting just as good as last time!!! Thanks for such a great recipe! New England will miss you!! (I’m a NH gal myself and grew up in MA..I love it here and never want to leave. Hope your move goes well!!)
July 8, 2012 - 1:33 pm
VirtualWineBar.com - This recipe is so amazing!! It was just featured as the “Daily Nosh” on the VirtualWineBar.com. It was paired with Mirimar 2009 Chardonnay.
Cheers!
August 31, 2012 - 4:32 pm
Michelle Hershman - I love this! I also decided to experiment with Hollandaise, and I made a spicy Hollandaise sauce using hot peppers which I put over a spanish-style bendict. I love any and all benedicts so I’m definitely going to try this one!
February 6, 2013 - 2:19 pm
50 Healthier Sriracha Recipes | Greatist - […] 1.California Eggs Benedict Add slices of avocado and tomato to fluffy poached eggs for a new take on the old classic. Make ahealthier hollandaise(it’s still creamy but has a little less butter) with Sriracha mixed right in. […]
February 7, 2013 - 1:38 am
50 Healthy Recipes Using Sriracha Hot Sauce | msufairtrade.com - […] 1.California Eggs BenedictAdd slices of avocado and tomato to fluffy poached eggs for a new take on the old classic. Make ahealthier hollandaise(it’s still creamy but has a little less butter) with Sriracha mixed right in. […]
March 9, 2013 - 5:45 pm
Siracha Eggs Benedict (Brinner) w/ Maharaja (Beer) | mallovesfood - […] Hollandaise Sauce: adapted from http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2012/03/26/california-eggs-benedict/ […]
April 10, 2013 - 6:16 pm
Samantha - As a former New Hampshirite now living in San Diego, I got a real laugh out of your story. Sorry the weather was so awful! If it’s any consolation, whenever San Diegans get a hint of bad weather, the whole city acts as though it’s a punishment directly from God.
The recipe looks delicious; I can’t wait to try it!
May 8, 2013 - 10:24 am
California Eggs Benedict - […] source: thecurvycarrot.com […]
June 26, 2013 - 3:22 pm
The Best Sauce Ever | Tacos and Tunes - […] way to kick it up a notch is to incorporate some heat into your Hollandiase sauce. This recipe (http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2012/03/26/california-eggs-benedict/) is for some tasty eggs benedict with a kick. Try it out an […]
August 7, 2013 - 10:13 am
HealthFit Magazine | 50 HEALTHY RECIPES USING SRIRACHA HOT SAUCE - […] 1.California Eggs BenedictAdd slices of avocado and tomato to fluffy poached eggs for a new take on the old classic. Make ahealthier hollandaise(it’s still creamy but has a little less butter) with Sriracha mixed right in. […]
August 9, 2013 - 7:02 pm
California Eggs Benedict | Oh, That's Just Boone - […] this recipe posted on The Curvy Carrot and couldn’t wait to try it out. I got to work from home today, so I was able to make a fancy […]
March 31, 2014 - 11:56 am
Recepten: Ontbijt op bed | We Heart Home - […] Eggs Benedictzijn een echte klassieker. Om dat ´s morgens te maken, moet je toch al wel wakker zijn, maar het is zó lekker. Afwerken met wat groen en het oogt nog mooi ook. […]
August 2, 2014 - 10:19 am
20 Mouthwatering Eggs Benedict Recipes - […] California Eggs Benedict (via The Curvy Carrot): As an avocado fiend, I’m won over by almost anything that has avocado in it. But slather it with sriracha hollandaise and Monterrey Jack and I’m sold. […]
August 11, 2014 - 4:37 pm
Sriracha! | Gurlvival - […] 1.California Eggs BenedictAdd slices of avocado and tomato to fluffy poached eggs for a new take on the old classic. Make ahealthier hollandaise(it’s still creamy but has a little less butter) with Sriracha mixed right in. […]
March 9, 2015 - 9:26 pm
On the Table - […] California Eggs Benedict. Most fresh, flavorful, and delicious breakfast I’ve had in a long […]
