Up your brunch game with the Bagel Eggs Bene. Smoked salmon, poached eggs, and herby hollandaise. What more could a breakfast bagel ask for.
Make the herby hollandaise – use a double boiler, or a medium saucepan and a heat proof bowl that will sit comfortably over the pot without touching the water. Quarter fill the saucepan with water and bring to a boil, reduce to a low heat to keep a gentle simmer. Place the egg yolks and lemon juice in the heatproof mixing bowl, and place the bowl over the pan of simmering water. It’s important that the water in the saucepan does not touch the mixing bowl, and that it is on a low heat – or your eggs will scramble. Using a hand whisk, start to beat the egg and lemon mixture, then continue whisking while you drizzle in the melted butter. This should only take 1 minute or less, you do not want to overcook this or it will split. The result should be a custard like consistency, a lovely thick sauce. Remove the bowl from heat as soon as this sauce consistency is achieved, and stir in chopped herbs. You will not need to add any further salt if you have used salted butter, but if you’ve used unsalted butter, season carefully with salt until flavour is to your liking.
Poach your eggs – bring a large pot of water with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to the boil. Once boiling, turn down to a low heat so that the water is simmering. Crack an egg into a small bowl or ramekin, and then pour the egg into the simmering water. Repeat with other eggs, and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until yolk is cooked to your liking. While your eggs are poaching, lightly toast your bagels, and top the bottom half with baby spinach and salmon. Remove cooked eggs from the pot with a slotted spoon, drain, and place poached egg on top of the salmon.
Pour the herby hollandaise over your egg, top with a pinch of pepper and more fresh herbs if desired, and the bagel top.
