Mmmm… holiday long weekend. š
I have extra vacation days to use before I go on maternity leave, so I made this an extra long weekend yesterday and took Thursday off as well. It would have been a lot more enjoyable if I hadn’t spent the entire day on my email working from home, but hey, I didn’t have to put real pants on until noon, so that’s still a win in my books.
Yesterday also happened to me mine and Colin’s wedding anniversary, a fact we both happened to forget until late last night, because clearly we’re awesome at marriage (okay, that’s not fair, we are pretty awesome at marriage, we’re just not very good at celebrating anniversaries).
Does your family do anything to celebrate Easter? I know roasting hams and lambs are quite common, as are eggy brunches. Well. Do I have the perfect thing for your Easter brunch this year.
Cooking for a lot of people? No problem. Have yourself a stress-free brunch by prepping this beauty of a bake in 5 minutes the night before. All you have to do the morning of is toss it in the oven and then make some Hollandaise sauce (from scratch or, if you truly want a quick and stress-free solution, from a packet). Eggs Benedict is a classic celebratory breakfast dish, but this takes all the stress out of it- the tedious egg poaching, the constant whisking of Hollandaise.
All of a sudden, hosting breakfast for 6 of your closest people isn’t so intimidating after all. You have more time to consider things like… a vase of springĀ daffodils, freshly squeezed orange juice mimosas, fancy, individually made lattes…
No?
Well, this also gives you more time to: sleep in, take a shower and make yourself coffee before everyone arrives. And, you know what, that’s pretty good, too. š
| Eggs Benedict Bake | Print |
- 6 English muffins, halved and cut into cubes
- 1½ cups ham, cubed*
- 10 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 1½ tsp grainy mustard
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- .
- Hollandaise Sauce:**
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp water
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- ½ tsp salt
- ~2-3 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Arrange 2 English muffins, cubed, in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with ½ cup cubed ham. Top with another layer of English muffins, followed by more ham and then repeat a third time to use up the rest of both ingredients.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly pour egg mixture over the ham/muffin in the casserole dish. Gently press the top of the ham and muffins down, to ensure the edges pick up some of the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake casserole, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the top is nicely browned and the egg custard is set.
- Once you have removed the cover from the casserole in the oven, start on the Hollandaise. If you have a double boiler, this is an excellent time to use it, but it is not necessary. Hollandaise is easy, but it does require constant attention.
- Place egg yolks and 1 water in a saucepan and whisk until mixture lightens in color, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar and whisk for another 30 seconds. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk until the mixture thickens slightly. This should take 3-4 minutes and the mixture should just coat the back of a spoon. Remove the saucepan from the heat and gradually add the cubes of butter one piece at a time, whisking until all of the butter is incorporated. You will have to put the saucepan back on the heat every now and then to heat the mixture enough to melt the butter. To finish, add the salt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Give it a quick taste at this point and adjust the lemon and salt, if needed.
- Serve baked Benedict hot out of the oven, drizzled with a generous amount of Hollandaise.
** OR use a packet of Hollandaise or Bearnaise sauce, which usually just requires butter and milk/water.
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