The best thing about our honeymoon in London was that I could finally try eggs benedict, something I wished for as long as I can remember. This might sound a bit silly, but going out for breakfast isn't really a thing here in the Netherlands. While perusing the breakfast menu of the hotel restaurant, I quickly discovered that there was also a variety called eggs royale. The difference between benedict and royale you might wonder? Instead of ham, the eggs are paired with smoked salmon. And a immediately knew I would go for that option instead.
You'll find that the recipe below suggests to use soft boiled eggs while eggs royale are officially served with poached eggs. The reason for this lame cop out is that I do not master the art of poaching an egg. I have tried several times, but I don't think it's worth to spoil 36.853 eggs trying to learn a skill I don't strictly need to master, when I'm perfectly happy with a soft boiled egg. However, if you do prefer poached eggs, don't hold back on my account.
2 slices of sourdough bread
100g smoked salmon
2 eggs
30g melted butter
2 egg yolks
1tbsp champagne vinegar
1tbsp water
salt + black pepper
2 SERVINGS
- Cook the two eggs to your liking. For soft boiled eggs, place them in cold water in a small pan with a lid. Bring to a boil, let cook for 1 minute, remove from the heat, and let them sit in the hot water for about four minutes. Rinse under running cold water.
- In the meantime, make the hollandaise sauce. Place the egg yolks, champagne vinegar and water in a saucepan. Whisk quickly over very low heat until it’s frothy and doubled in volume. Be careful, too much heat will scramble the eggs. Keep whisking while adding the melted butter. And continue to whisk until thickened, and almost doubled. If the sauce gets too thick, add a little more water or vinegar. Once it's ready, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Take your most beautiful plates, place the sourdough bread on them, and top with salmon, egg, and hollandaise sauce. Serve with fresh orange juice and perhaps even some flowers.
