Thursday, June 23, 2011

Happy Father's Day! (Rana)

Okay, so it has passed, but still, I wish all father's everywhere a happy Father's Day. Well, all deserving fathers. That aside, I woke up that Sunday morning to an unnaturally energetic attitude. I attacked the kitchen.

My family is trying to be big on health, both of my parents are working out and trying to eat right. Sometimes, though, that means just not eating. With my recent choice of pescetarianism I've found that I'm in similar circumstances. So my menu was basically trying to be a relief from that everyday feeling, mixed with true health benefits.

The menu(all homemade):
Blueberry Muffins
Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon
Buttermilk biscuits
Raspberries and Blueberries

The blueberry muffins disappeared before I could get even one shot of them. They were baked with whole wheat flour, though, and with fresh blueberries. It gave them a homey, wholegrain flavor. They tasted both delicious and healthy. I don't have the recipe, though.

Onto what I actually took tons of pictures of,t he Eggs Benedict. I made my own hollandaise sauce, and practiced poaching eggs like a pro. It wasn't too difficult, but my family called it amazing! I just wish they tried to poach an egg or two, they'd realize why I find it fun!

Hollandaise Sauce:
Ingredients

4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
Pinch cayenne
Pinch salt

Directions
Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.


As for the other aspects of assembly, I toasted some storebought English muffins, put a small slice of lox on the toasty chewy bread, and then topped that off with a delicious poached egg. I poured a dollop of hollandaise, sprinkled with paprika, and voila! An amazing Father's Day brekky!


Mmmm, eggs.

Here's some more shots, I hope everyone's Father's Day was much less eventful than mine.





Also, the cake we had later that night. Storebought, sadly, but it was a delicious mango mousse!