Salmon Eggs Benedict

Rich, creamy hollandaise sauce. Pour it over any dish and you have something decadent. The sauce harmonizes the flavors and ties every ingredient together. But really, who am I kidding? I just want the sauce. The egg, salmon and vegetables are simply vehicles for the main attraction.

Hollandaise sauce has a secret weapon, it’s all in the quality of the eggs. Quality will always trump quantity in my book. When it comes to food, the source matters. And it matters most when you’ll be consuming it raw. The last thing you want to worry about is a contaminated egg.

Egg yolks from your local, trusted farmer are quite different from the styrofoam container you picked up at the grocery store. Chickens need a nurturing environment so they can be the best chicken they can be and in turn provide us with stellar nutrition. They need to roam free, eat from the land and get plenty of sunlight. How many grocery stores have eggs coming from this condition? Close to zero. Get to know your local farmer. Do you know where your eggs come from?

Pasture raised chickens:
-roam free on pasture outside
-eat their natural diets of green plants, insects and worms
-have higher nutrient percentages of vitamin A, vitamin K2, vitamin D, choline, sulfur, selenium and healthy cholesterol, which are primarily found in the yolk
-eggs have a longer shelf life, lasting for several weeks

Conventional chickens:
-live in cages or without access to sunlight most of their lives
-eat an unnatural diet of GMO corn, soy and cottonseed
-given antibiotics to prevent disease caused by their unnatural living conditions
-eggs are pasteurized and twice as likely to be contaminated

When conventional eggs are your only option, it is almost impossible to decipher all the marketing lingo saturating egg cartons. Companies know that consumers are looking for certain specifications. And since the companies’ goal is to turn the greatest profit, they have created new marketing tactics. Use this guide below designed by Richard Leo to steer you to the best option.

Guide to Unscrambling Egg Cartons


Salmon Eggs Benedict

Hollandaise Sauce

Makes ½ cup.

2 egg yolks
dash of salt
1 ½ tbsp of water
3 ½ tbsp of butter – I used Kerry Gold.
½ tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
tiny pinch of cayenne pepper

►Chop butter into 1 inch pieces.
In a small sauce pan, combine egg yolks, water and salt. Whisk together before placing on the heat.
►Slowly heat over low heat, stirring constantly for five minutes. The mixture will thicken so that it coats the back of your spoon. If lumps form in the eggs, move away from the heat for a minute and continue stirring. Once the consistency is smooth, place back on the heat.

►Keeping the burner on, take the pan away from the heat. Stir in the butter 1-2 pieces at a time until all is combined and melted.
If sauce begins to harden, place back on the heat for a minute until creamy again.
►Add in lemon juice and cayenne pepper, stirring to combine.
►Serve immediately or place in a double boiler over the stove for up to thirty minutes. Stir before serving.

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