Here’s a quick breakfast-for-dinner meal designed to get you in and out of the kitchen faster than you can say “holiday baking holiday decorating holiday shopping.”
Due to the presence of luscious avocado and a little chipotle charm, lime juice stands in for lemon in the hollandaiselike blender sauce.
You’ll need a teaspoon or two of distilled white vinegar for the poaching water; it helps keep the egg white together.
Serve on a tray; eat it warm, with your feet up.
Smoked Salmon and Avocado Eggs Benedict
2 servings
Adapted from “Dinner for Two: Easy and Innovative Recipes for One, Two or a Few” by Julie Wampler (Countryman Press, 2015).
For the sauce:
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 lime
1 large egg
¼ to ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
Water (optional)
For assembly:
2 large eggs
2 English muffins, preferably whole-wheat
Flesh of 1 ripe avocado
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
Place butter in a microwave-safe cup; melt in the microwave on low, let cool for 2 minutes.
Halve the lime; squeeze its juice into a blender, add the egg and chipotle powder (to taste), pulsing to combine. Remove the knob in the center of the lid. On high speed, gradually pour in the melted butter, puréeing to create a thick sauce. If it becomes too thick to pour, add water in teaspoon increments. Transfer to a container with a spout.
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high, then reduce the heat to medium. (Now’s the time to add the distilled white vinegar.)
Crack each egg into its own cup. Gently pour each one into the hot water. (Some folks get the water swirling first, but it’s not necessary.) Poach for 2 to 3 minutes, to your desired consistency of egg yolk.
Halve the English muffins and toast them. Mash the avocado in a medium bowl with salt and pepper; spread it on the toasted muffins. Place two halves on each plate. Top the halves with smoked salmon. Use a slotted spoon to transfer an egg, shaking it gently to drain it over the saucepan, to a salmon platform on each plate. Pour half of the sauce over the eggs. Pass the remaining sauce at the table.
Per serving (using half the sauce): 490 calories, 26 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 31 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 275 mg cholesterol, 1,010 mg sodium, 8 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar
