Author Notes
Just in time for Mother's Day brunch, here is a twist on the traditional Eggs Benedict. It was fun to explore the farmer's market for early spring vegetables. I've never cooked with fiddlehead ferns before so decided to give them a try and combined them with delicious morel mushrooms. Hollandaise sauce is always an elegant addition to eggs, fish and vegetables and mine is inspired by a Jane Grigson recipe. I've decreased the butter and increased the lemon juice. —BlueKaleRoad
Ingredients
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2 1/2 ounces
morel mushrooms
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1/2 tablespoon
unsalted butter
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7 ounces
fiddlehead ferns
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1 tablespoon
olive oil
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2 tablespoons
white wine vinegar
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2 tablespoons
water
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3
egg yolks
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4 ounces
unsalted butter
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1/4
lemon, juiced
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1 teaspoon
white vinegar
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4
large eggs
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salt to taste
Directions
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Soak morel mushrooms in a bowl of cold water and swish around to clean. Drain and quarter lengthwise (or if large, slice in half, too). Melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter in small saute pan and add mushroom. Saute on medium heat until soft (about 3-4 minutes). Set aside.
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Rinse fiddlehead ferns and trim the dark ends of them. Blanche in salted water for 2 minutes and drain. Heat olive oil in saute pan (can use the same one from the mushrooms) and saute fiddleheads on medium heat for about 6 minutes, until soft but slightly crunchy. Salt to taste and set aside.
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In a 2 quart sauce pan, bring the 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water to a boil. Let simmer until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Reduce heat to low and add the 3 egg yolks. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. With the heat on low, add a tablespoon of the unsalted butter and stir until melted and blended in. Keep adding butter a tablespoon at a time and blending it in. When all butter is added, stir in lemon juice and salt to taste. Set aside and keep warm.
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In a medium sauce pan, bring an inch of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. Crack each egg into a ramekin and slide it into the water. Reduce heat to medium and poach eggs for about 3 minutes (depending upon how runny you like your yolks). Gently nudge each egg after a minute to make sure they aren't sticking to the bottom of the pan.
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Arrange the fiddlehead ferns between 2 warm plates. Gently place 2 poached eggs on top of each bed of ferns. Divide the morel mushrooms on top of the eggs and drizzle hollandaise on top (you will have extra sauce to dip your fiddleheads in). Add a few grinds of fresh pepper and enjoy!
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