Puff Pastry Eggs Benedict by Chef Dale MacKay
Spring is here and we thought we suggest something brunchy for this weekend, Egg Benedict, just in time for Mother’s Day. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Chef Dale Mackay, as he made his way east to first open Ayden Kitchen & Bar, and then Little Grouse on the Prairie and Sticks and Stones. You can follow his journey on Instagram here. I was also lucky enough to join him in the Cayman Islands, fur the Cayman Island Cookout, and wrote about that here.
Puff Pastry Eggs Benedict
Serves: two Prep time: 20 minutes Total time: 20 minutes
Spring for a beautiful brunch dish with this puff pastry eggs benedict recipe by Chef Dale MacKay. With puff pastry baskets, spinach grass, and nested poached eggs this recipe is almost too cute to eat.
Puff Pastry Basket
Ingredients
2 8 x 10 inch (20 x 25 cm) sheets of puff pastry
1 egg
Instructions
Step 1
Lay down fridge-cold puff pastry on a cutting board. Cut the puff pastry into four oval shapes using an oval shaped cutter. Using a knife, cut just the center out of two of the ovals, leaving a ½ inch (1.3 cm) border. Next, cut two ½ inch (1.3 cm) strips of pastry lengthwise down your sheet. In a bowl, crack the egg and add 1 tbsp of water and mix well.
Step 2
Using a brush, brush egg over full ovals, then lay the cut-out ovals on top making sure the edges line up. Brush the border well with egg wash. Egg wash both sides of your ½ inch (1.3 cm) strips. Carefully twist the strip as you place it onto your border all the way around until it reconnects on the other side. Brush with egg wash one more time.
Step 3
Place the ‘puff pastry baskets’ on a parchment-lined tray. Bake in a preheated convection oven at 375°F (190°C) for 20-22 minutes, until dark golden brown. Allow to cool after cooking.
Hollandaise
Ingredients
⅓ cup (75 mL) white wine
⅓ cup (75 mL) white wine vinegar
¼ cup (60 mL) thinly sliced shallots
10 black peppercorns
10 coriander seeds
Instructions
Step 1
Place all reduction ingredients into a small pot on medium-high heat and reduce by 80%. Strain and let cool until it’s time to make the sauce.
Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp (30 mL) hollandaise reduction
¾ cup (175 mL) clarified butter
A pinch of salt
Instructions
Step 1
Add egg yolks and reduction into a medium size glass or stainless steel bowl over a simmering pot of water that is only half full so that the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk nonstop until mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble.
Step 2
Once egg mix is thick, take off the heat and start to whisk slowly in clarified butter so that it does not split. Whisk in all butter and a pinch of salt. If you are not using the sauce right away, cover it and place in a warm area to hold.
Garnish
Ingredients
½ cup (125 mL) bacon, cut into ¼ inch (0.6 cm) pieces
¼ cup (60 mL) shallots, diced
2 cups (500 mL) spinach
4 soft poached eggs
¼ cup (60 mL) spinach, cut into matchsticks
Instructions
Step 1
In a large frying pan on medium heat cook bacon. Once the bacon is slightly crispy, add shallots and cook for 1 min.
Step 2
Add spinach and toss until it’s all broken down. Remove from the pan and split it into the bottom of the pastry baskets.
Step 3
To poach eggs, fill a saucepan with about 3 inches (8 cm) of water. Add a splash of vinegar. Heat the water until it gently simmers then break a cold egg into a small dish. Holding the dish just above the simmering water, gently slip the egg into the water. Repeat this step for remaining eggs. Cook the eggs in the simmering water until whites are set and yolks are cooked as desired, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to drain.
Step 4
Next place two hot, soft poached eggs on top of the spinach mix in each basket, add hollandaise on top of your eggs.
Step 5
Place cut raw spinach around the eggs and in the cracks to make it look like grass. Serve right away. If you have extra hollandaise serve on the side if desired.
Enjoy your eggs benedict!
