Eggs Benedict

When I was 10 years old, my family and I were living in South Korea, and we (well, my parents) decided to go to Japan for spring break. I don't remember very much about that trip, but here's what I do remember:

• Flying space available on a non-commercial military flight. LOUD.
  
• Going up to Mount Fuji wearing shorts and being shocked to see snow in the spring.
• Cherry blossoms. Probably when my love for them began.
• Crowded, crowded, crowded.
  
• Being in love with our beautiful hotel, so much so that I didn't want to leave it. I still remember that the bedding was a gorgeous shade of yellow that made me feel like I was wrapped up in beams of sunlight.
• Eating Eggs Benedict for breakfast at the hotel.

I've always loved Eggs Benedict ever since. What's not to love? Bread: yum. Canadian bacon: yum. Eggs: yum. Creamy sauce to mop it all up in: yum.

Fast forward 8 billion years to two years ago. Like most of the rest of America, I watched Julie & Julia, and as someone who likes cooking, thought--I ought to try cooking Julia Child recipes. I mean, why not, right? I live in France! So last year, my parents gave me Mastering the Art of French Cooking as a birthday present, and sent me on my way back to France. Living in the hotel, however, intimidated me away from trying out Julia, and I didn't pick up the book until a month ago.

Last month, the Artist arrived in France and was staying with me while waiting for her apartment to become available. One night, we watched Julie & Julia, and we became inspired to inaugurate the cookbook by trying out Hollandaise sauce. Let me reprint what Julia had to say about Hollandaise sauce here:

"Hollandaise sauce is made of warmed egg yolks flavored with lemon juice into which butter is gradually incorporated to make a thick, yellow, creamy sauce. It is probably the most famous of all sauces, and is often the most dreaded, as the egg yolks can curdle and the sauce can turn. It is extremely easy and almost foolproof to make in the electric blender... But we feel it is of great importance that you learn how to make hollandaise by hand, for part of every good cook's general knowledge is a thorough familiarity with the vagaries of egg yolks under all conditions." (Pg. 79)

Well, I misread that paragraph last month. I read the "extremely easy and almost foolproof" and somehow missed the "in the electric blender" part. I, being a rule-follower, felt I needed to make it by hand first, since that what Julia said should be done. I whisked and whisked and whisked, and after probably 30 minutes (instead of less than 5) of whisking, and even following the "if your sauce doesn't thicken" instructions, gave up. The sauce never thickened, and it was evident it never was going to. Oh boy was I ever disappointed, frustrated, and downright mad.

The Artist and I ate one lousy dinner that night. The next night, I made a Rachel Ray recipe that was easy and foolproof and thought to myself, "I guess I am a Rachel Ray cook and not a Julia Child cook." However, I'd like to be both.

So I decided to try again today. Skipping that whole "by hand" nonsense, I went straight for the blender. And guess what? Julia was right. It was "extremely easy and almost foolproof." I did manage, as I always do, to make a disaster of my kitchen, getting butter sprayed everywhere. (Julia said, "You may need to protect yourself with a towel during this operation," and um, she was right.) It's no wonder that when Sue-Wee bought me a Christmas present back in 2007, she didn't buy me one apron, but two.

I got my English muffin ready and cooked up the "bacon." (France does not have yummy bacon like the US, but they have good enough substitutes that don't look like bacon but taste good.) I made the Hollandaise sauce, and had it ready. The last part was also new for me: poaching an egg. I've never poached an egg. And from the scene in the movie, I was a little nervous that I might mess it up. But I followed the instructions exactly, dropping the egg softly into the simmering water, and then immediately and gently pushing the white over the yolk. (You read that in Julia without seeing it done and think, "huh?," but in the process, it makes sense.) The egg whites looked all ghostly in the water, and just like in the movie, I stood over the pot enthralled with watching the eggs poach.

There I am staring at the water wondering if I am ruining my eggs like I had ruined my sauce the first time around last month. I scooped them out of the water after 4 minutes, followed the rest of the recipe, and assembled my Eggs Benedict! Here's the final product.

I was so proud of how it all looked...but would it taste good? It did! I was so happy! I did overcook one of the eggs, but the other one was perfect. 26.5 years after eating Eggs Benedict for the first time, I was able to make them myself. Thank you, Julia.