Cajun Eggs Benedict with Andouille

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch cast iron skillet
• •Medium saucepan for double boiler
• •Heatproof bowl for hollandaise
• •Wide skillet or saucepan for poaching
• •Slotted spoon
• •Small ramekins for cracking eggs

Instructions

1. 1

   Clarify the butter

   Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Let it sit for a minute, then skim off the white foam that rises to the top. Carefully pour the clear golden butter into a measuring cup, leaving the milky solids behind in the pan. You need that pure butterfat for proper hollandaise. Keep it warm but not hot.

   Clarified butter keeps the hollandaise stable. The milk solids are what make it break, so removing them gives you insurance.
2. 2

   Crisp the andouille

   Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. No oil needed. The andouille has plenty of fat to render. Lay the sausage rounds in a single layer and let them sizzle undisturbed for two to three minutes until the bottoms develop a dark, caramelized crust. Flip and repeat. You want crispy edges and that rendered fat left in the pan. Transfer the andouille to a plate and keep warm.

   Save that rendered andouille fat. You can fry your eggs in it for a weekday breakfast, or use it to cook your holy trinity for gumbo.
3. 3

   Warm the biscuits

   Split your biscuits in half horizontally and arrange them cut-side up on a baking sheet. Slide them into a 250°F oven to warm through while you work on the eggs and sauce. They should be warm and slightly toasted on the cut surface, about ten minutes.

4. 4

   Build the hollandaise base

   Fill a medium saucepan with two inches of water and bring to a bare simmer. Whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice, Creole mustard, hot sauce, and cayenne in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, making sure the bottom does not touch the water. Whisk constantly.

   If you see any bits of egg starting to scramble at the edges, pull the bowl off the heat immediately and whisk like your breakfast depends on it. Because it does.
5. 5

   Emulsify the hollandaise

   Once the yolk mixture is slightly thickened and warm to the touch, begin adding the clarified butter in a very thin stream while whisking constantly. Take your time here. The first few tablespoons are critical. As the sauce emulsifies, you can add the butter a bit faster. The finished hollandaise should coat the back of a spoon and hold its shape when drizzled. Season with salt, taste, and adjust the hot sauce and cayenne until it has that gentle heat that wakes up your tongue without burning.

   If your hollandaise breaks and looks curdled, start over with one fresh yolk in a clean bowl. Whisk in your broken sauce a tablespoon at a time and it will come back together.
6. 6

   Set up the poaching water

   Fill a wide, deep skillet or saucepan with about three inches of water. Add the vinegar and bring to a gentle simmer. You want lazy bubbles rising from the bottom, not a rolling boil. The vinegar helps the whites set quickly around the yolk.

7. 7

   Poach the eggs

   Crack each egg into a small cup or ramekin first. Create a gentle whirlpool in the water with a spoon, then slide the egg into the center. The swirling water wraps the white around the yolk. Poach for three minutes for a runny yolk, four minutes for jammy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a clean kitchen towel. Work in batches of two or three eggs at a time.

   Fresh eggs poach better than old ones. The whites are tighter and cling to the yolk instead of feathering out into the water like ghosts.
8. 8

   Assemble and serve

   Place two biscuit halves on each warm plate, cut side up. Top each half with a crispy andouille round, then nestle a poached egg on top. Spoon generous ribbons of that Cajun hollandaise over everything, letting it pool on the plate. Scatter fresh chives over the top and dust with smoked paprika for color. Serve immediately. The yolk waits for no one.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out real Louisiana andouille if you can get it. The stuff from the grocery store works, but the good stuff from a Cajun butcher shop has more smoke, more garlic, more soul.
• •If you are nervous about hollandaise, make a practice batch first. It is just egg yolks, butter, and acid. Once you feel how the emulsion forms, you will never fear it again.
• •The poached eggs can be made up to an hour ahead and held in a bowl of room temperature water. Dip them in hot water for thirty seconds to rewarm before serving.
• •For a crowd, keep the hollandaise warm by leaving it over the double boiler with the heat off, whisking occasionally. It will hold for about an hour.

Advance Preparation

• •Andouille can be crisped up to two hours ahead and rewarmed in the oven while you poach the eggs.
• •Biscuits can be baked the day before and reheated, split side up, at 350°F for five minutes.
• •The clarified butter can be made a week ahead and refrigerated. Melt gently before using.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)