There are 2 dishes that I have struggled making in the past. Ok that is an understatement....both were disastrous when I tried making them in the past!
1. Poached eggs
2. Crème brûlée
Yesterday, not only did I prove that I can now successfully make both, but I found ways to improve them even more! And although yesterday was not the first time that I have successfully made them, it was the first time with new (not-so) secret ingredients!
First up, Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict. Years ago, I tried poaching eggs and it turned into goopy egg water. GROSS. Right down the garbage disposal and I fried the eggs instead.
So it turns out, poaching eggs is quite simple as long as you follow the rules! Make sure the water is deep enough (1 1/2 inches). Make sure the water is hot enough (190 degrees exactly). Make sure you add a few teaspoons of vinegar (I used white wine vinegar). Make sure you cook them for the proper amount of time undisturbed (4 1/2 minutes). Make sure you are GENTLE when removing them with a slotted spoon. If you want them to be perfectly shaped, you can use the side of the spoon to gently trim the uneven edges.
Most classic Eggs Benedict recipes include Canadian bacon as the meat, but I decided to change up and use fresh smoked salmon which was the perfect balance with the sweetness of the eggs and the tang of the hollandaise. Speaking of which, hollandaise is quite simple too - egg yolk, lemon juice, melted butter, some salt and a pinch of cayenne I used a mini food processor and it took less than a minute! I garnished with chopped fresh chives, a pinch of paprika and I served it with Blackberry Brown Sugar Yogurt Parfait. PERFECTION.
Next up, crème brûlée which translates to BURNT CREAM. Doesn't that sound appetizing? Years ago, I tried making it for Valentine's Day because how hard could it be, right? Well the custard came out decent but when it came time to brûlée the top, I did not have a kitchen blow torch so I stuck them under the broiler. Within 2 minutes, the top looked perfect, just like a restaurant! Then I served them. We cracked the top, and discovered that the heat from the broiler liquified the custard and we ended up with crème brûlée soup. Not exactly my intention and they never let me live it down!
Cut to yesterday. Now, needless to say, we have a kitchen blow torch and now whenever I make crème brûlée it's perfect every time. So when we were invited to our friend's house for an early Valentine's Day dinner last night, I thought I would try to improve crème brûlée and hence we have Maple Bourbon Crème Brûlée. Simply adding some good maple syrup and a splash of good bourbon to the basic custard recipe transforms this classic dessert into something much fancier and gives a whole new depth of flavor. And to add even more maple goodness, I used maple sugar as the brûlée topping. You can find it on Amazon if it's not in your grocery store. Now THIS is one dessert I can eat over and over again.
Fresh out of the oven!
Ready to serve!
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