Eggs Benedict and Homefries

We always have a special Easter breakfast after the kids finish opening their Easter presents and searching for their Easter Eggs. Of course, Claire and Marco are much too jacked up on chocolate already by breakfast to even care about what I make.... I love Eggs Benedict, it's one of those indulgences that is all that much more special because you know you can only eat it a couple of times a year (unless you WANT to look like the side of barn, and then you can eat it every day). Eggs Benedict is also one of those dishes, that while simple, requires a little bit of co-ordination to get everything ready and have it all HOT at the same time. This can be further complicated by my caffeine drugged children screaming at the top of their lungs, "MOMMY - Claire ate some of my chocolate!".... "Mommy! Marco put an Easter Egg up his nose".... This recipe served 3 (two muffin halves each for the adults and one each for the kids). I served it with fresh fruit and homefries (recipe follows).

Eggs Benedict

3 English Muffins, halved, toasted and buttered
6 eggs
6 slices Canadian Back bacon

Hollandaise Sauce:
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup butter melted
2 tbsp hot water
dash of cayenne pepper
salt to taste

1. Make sauce. Use a double boiler over hot water. Beat egg yolks until smooth. Add lemon juice, butter, and 2 tbsp hot water. Season with cayenne and salt.

2. Continue to mix for a couple of minutes until sauce thickens. Keep warm over hot water while preparing the rest of breakfast. IF, your sauce separates, don't panic! At the last minute just whisk in another tbsp of boiling water and the sauce will smooth out again. (Note: go ahead and use a packaged hollandaise if you like, they're still pretty good)

3. Once hollandaise sauce is made, get water boiling for the poached eggs. Use a large skillet so you can do all the eggs at once. Put a couple of teaspoons of vinegar in the water (this help keeps the eggs together). Break eggs one at a time into a small dish and "slip" quickly into the simmering water. Poach 4-5 minutes for an egg that is runny inside. (to test, just pick the egg up out of the water with a slotted spoon and poke it with your finger - you'll know when its done to your liking.) When eggs are done, remove them and let them drain a couple of seconds on a couple of sheets of paper towel, so they don't make your English muffins soggy.

4. While the eggs are cooking, toast the English muffins under the broiler (this is easier than messing with toasting them two at a time in the toaster). Butter the muffins.

5. For the back bacon, I usually just throw it in the microwave for a minute or so (because at this point, I figure that I've dirtied enough dishes!)

6. Assemble on warmed plates. English muffin, back bacon, egg and a spoonful of sauce on each. Serve with homefries and fruit.

Homefries

4 yukon gold potatoes, washed and not peeled
1 small onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
salt and pepper

1. Before you go to bed the night before, bake the potatoes in the microwave (pierce them with a fork and bake for about 10 minutes). Place them in the fridge.

2. Cube the potatoes and fry in olive oil and butter until they are starting to brown.

3. Add maple sugar and onion and continue to fry until the onions are soft. The sugar in the syrup will help brown the potatoes really nice.