Eggs Benedict in a Puff Pastry plus a dessert of Meringue

   During one of my days off last May I decided to make a special breakfast for my myself, my mom and my grandmother. I made my own version of eggs benedict; I used puff pastry as the bread rather than a bagel as is usually done. The puff pastry shells I bought from the store but I made my own hollandaise sauce and used duck prosciutto instead of regular pork bacon. The duck prosciutto somehow made it more flavor and meaty.

   

    Firstly, I made the hollandaise sauce while I let the puff pastry bake and turn golden brown on top. After which, I set the sauce aside and let the ingredients in the incorporate while I let the bacon fry and crisp in the pan. While the prosciutto cook, I poached some eggs using the microwavable poacher (a heaven sent) and chopped some scallions. If you don't have the microwavable poacher, you can poach the eggs over simmering water; it is better to slide down the eggs one at a time from its shell to keep the shape.When everything was cooked, it was time to assemble them. 

   To make sure that I won't waste any of the ingredients when making the hollandaise sauce, I used the egg whites to make a meringue as a dessert which ended up to be a must to have everyday for everyone.

   I used the Hollandaise recipe from simply recipes but made an adjustment with the amount of butter.

Hollandaise Sauce (makes about 1 cup) 

3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 stick of butter (8 tbsp)

   Melt the butter slowly in a small pot. Try not to let it boil – you want the moisture in the butter to remain there and not steam away. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne (if using) into your blender. Blend the egg yolk mixture at a medium to medium high speed until it lightens in color, about 20-30 seconds. The friction generated by the blender blades will heat the yolks a bit. The blending action will also introduce a little air into them, making your hollandaise a bit lighter.
   Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender down to its lowest setting (if you only have one speed on your blender it will still work), and drizzle in the melted butter slowly, while the blender is going. Continue to buzz for another couple seconds after the butter is all incorporated.
  Turn off the blender and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony and just lightly salty. If it is not salty or lemony enough, you can add a little lemon juice or salt to taste. If you want a thinner consistency, add a little warm water. Pulse briefly to incorporate the ingredients one more time. Store until needed in a warm spot, like on or next to the stovetop. Use within an hour or so.

For the Meringue (a recipe I found at joy of baking):

3 egg whites (from the egg that i took the yolks from)

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup super fine sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla paste or extract (I prefer the paste since it gives that fine vanilla taste)

   Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You can form the cookies with a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch or you can use a ziplock top bag and cut one end. In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat, on medium-high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla paste.  

  

   Note: The meringue is done when it holds stiff peaks and when you rub a little between your thumb and index finger it does not feel gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers.

Before placing the cookies on the cookie sheet, place a little of the meringue on the underside of each corner of the parchment paper. This will prevent the paper from sliding.  Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) tip. Pipe 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) rounds of meringue in rows on the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, spoon mounds of meringue, using two spoons, onto the prepared sheets. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a few shaved almonds, if desired.

  

   Bake the meringues for approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, rotating the baking sheet from front to back (about half way through) to ensure even baking. The meringues are done when they are pale in color and fairly crisp. (The meringues will release easily from the parchment paper.) Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying several hours or overnight. The meringues can be covered and stored at room temperature for several days. 

  

   I made small bite-sized pieces that the kids love so much.