For any of you Market Kitchen fans, yes this was certainly provoked by Wednesday’s episode where Mark Jankel brilliantly whipped up an easy, healthy and light lunch of egg, white flower broccoli and homemade hollandaise sauce. Of course, seeing as I’m a student and usually don’t have all the fabulous ingredients (that Mum usually has in her kitchen but not mine), I had to make do with what I had – this specifically means I lacked white wine vinegar (I had a huge bottle of rice wine vinegar though…so close!) and lovely, fresh, sweet white flower broccoli.
Beans were used instead, but I was cool with that. I love beans! I love the crunch of it and the subtle sweetness of its insides. Although, my favourite beany kind of vegetable would have to be sugarsnap peas. They’re the best. Indeed, I do love a good crunch or snap when it comes to food. Hence, the love for Doritos, Kettle chips (it has to be Kettle chips…none of that Walker crisps business. The American brand of Russles is good too but it MUST be the crinkle cut), crispy bacon, sugarsnap peas, ginger nut, bread sticks and all that jazz.
Due to the lack of white wine vinegar, I couldn’t make a hollandaise sauce so I simply made some random onion sauce which to be honest, didn’t go very well. Firstly, I believe fried onions are the best and don’t know why it occurred to me to make an onion sauce. Secondly, I had an early lunch so onion wasn’t very much aligned with the still-groggy-from-sleep-and-pissed-off-at-the-world mood. Anyhow, a few tips from good ol’ Jankel: add vinegar in the gently boiling water as it helps keep the egg together while poaching. Crack an egg into a cup first before turning it out into the water as that makes sure the yoke is firmly within the egg white. My 2cents worth: use free range eggs!! Support the Chicken Run.
Here’s the recipe for all who’d like to give this a go. And another thing, Delia Smith (I love this woman, she’s a legend) swears by adding a tiny bit of lemon juice in her hollandaise.
For the hollandaise
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 200g unsalted butter, melted
- smoked sea salt, to taste
For the poached egg
- 1 egg
- 100ml white wine vinegar
For the broccoli
- 250g white sprouting broccoli
For the hollandaise: whisk the egg yolks, vinegar and water together in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Whisk continuously until the mixture starts to thicken.
Slowly drizzle in the melted butter, whisking continuously and being careful not to let the mixture overheat, or the mixture will curdle. Season to taste with smoked sea salt and pepper.
For the poached egg: bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and add the vinegar. Carefully crack in the egg and poach gently for 3 minutes.
For the broccoli: blanch the broccoli in boiling salted water for 2 minutes.
Put the broccoli on a serving plate, then the poached egg. Drizzle over the hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with a pinch of the smoked sea salt
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