What To Do With Leftover Yolks - Part Five. Hollandaise Sauce.

On Sunday mornings, after a week of pasty oatmeal and dry cereals, Mr. Hawthorne wants a decent breakfast. Generally this is in the form of Eggs Benedict. I know. I know. I've blogged this dish before. But it's soooo good and there might just be some newbies out there who haven't seen it or others who have and need a little more prodding to make it. I wish someone out there would try this dish and report back to me.

I set a pot of spinach on to steam. (Cover the spinach.)

I sauteed some slices of ham.

I used 2 yolks out of my ever-dwindling supply. My supply of yolks has been in a tupperware container and has been covered with plastic wrap touching the surface.

I squeezed the juice of one-half lemon into the yolks.

Spinach has steamed down.

Now, the hollandaise. I whisked the yolks and lemon juice over very low heat. And I don't even let the pan touch the flame. Just hover over, whisking constantly.

I added a 1/2 tablespoon of cold butter at a time, whisking until incorporated.

In all, I used 1/2 stick of butter. Salt and pepper to taste.

Mr. Hawthorne's contribution was the coffee. And those are hazelnuts he's put in with the beans. And here's how to perfectly poach an egg. I added a tablespoon of white vinegar to my water. The vinegar helps the outer layer of the egg to congeal quicker, thus helping the egg hold its shape, instead of having skeins of protein dangling throughout the water.

Here's my perfectly poached 3-minute egg atop a bed of steamed spinach, on top of a slice of ham, on top of a toasted English Muffin, topped with a smooth, buttery, lemony Hollandaise sauce.

This is my favorite part - cutting into the egg and releasing the yolk. No, I take that back. This is my second favorite part.

My favorite part is eating this.