The king of brunches! This hollandaise method takes a little more time than most, but we promise you won’t make it any other way once you’ve tried it. We love the texture contrast of crispy bacon (especially when it’s cooked in the AGA), but you can make it with ham if you prefer.
With thanks to Rebecca Woollard for the recipe.
Serves 2
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp water
1 blade of mace
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 banana shallot, finely chopped
6 rashers good quality streaky bacon
1 free-range egg yolk
60g unsalted butter, cold, chopped into small cubes
2 medium free-range eggs,
Sunflower or olive oil, as needed
1 English muffin, split in half
Flat-leaf parsley, as needed
Preparation Time: 10 minutes. Cooking Time: 45 minutes.
1. Place the vinegar, water, blade of mace, peppercorns, and shallot in a small saucepan and bring to the boil on the simmering plate, hotplate on simmering setting or induction on medium. Simmer for 3-5 minutes to reduce to around 2 tbsp of liquid. Strain the reduction into a bowl, pressing down on the shallots to get all the liquid out. Set aside.
2. Lay the bacon out on a lined baking tray and place in the oven. CAST OVEN: on the floor grid on the floor of the roasting oven or oven on R8 for 15-20 minutes, until crisp and cooked to your liking. Alternatively cook on a griddle or frying pan on the boiling plate, hotplate on boiling setting or induction on high.
3. To make the hollandaise sauce, put 1 tbsp of the reduction into a mixing bowl that fits on top of a pan of hot water and place it on the simmering plate, hotplate on simmering setting or induction on medium.
4. Add the egg yolk and a pinch of salt and whisk until foamy. Add a cube of butter and whisk until the butter has melted, then add another one. After 2-3 cubes the sauce should start to thicken - if it doesn’t, whisk without adding butter until it does. If the sauce gets too thick, move the pan to a cooler part of the cooker, then add a splash of cold water.
5. Once all the butter has been added, taste the sauce and add a little more reduction or salt as needed. It should be buttery but also nicely acidic and the texture should thickly coat the back of a spoon. Cover with clingfilm directly touching the surface and remove from the heat but leave on the pan of water.
6. Put a saucepan of hot water on the simmering plate – it should just be producing the odd bubble from the bottom, not simmering.
7. Lightly oil a ladle, then crack the egg into it. Lower the ladle very carefully into the saucepan, gently allowing the water to get into the ladle, and hold it there until the outside of the egg has formed a white barrier. Once that happens, carefully slide the egg into the water and poach for 2-3 minutes, until the white has set. Repeat with the second egg, then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and keep warm on the hotplate.
8. Toast the muffin halves on a toasting rack on the boiling plate or hotplate on boiling setting or use the grill if you have one.
9. Place muffins on a plate, cut side up. Top with three rashers of bacon each, then a poached egg. Stir the hollandaise, then spoon over the eggs and garnish with a little parsley. Serve immediately.
Cook’s tip: If you regularly make hollandaise, you can make a big batch of the reduction and keep it in the fridge – it will last for up to 3 months.
