The Faux Benedict

It's almost the end of January, have you kept your healthy eating resolutions? Sometimes it can be hard to stay on track even when one has the best of intentions. Our Guest Cook this week is Kari, she's on an almost perfect paleo diet. Deciding that she needed get her health back on course, Kari began re-discovering her passion for cooking & photography. She has since launched her lifestyle blog, Eighty Twenty Almanac, as a way to document everything that inspires her as well as connect with the online community.

This dish was inspired by leftovers from the night before and is a great way to sneak in a few extra veggies for even the most picky of eaters! While not 100% Paleo (it does include butter, though we did clarify it prior), this dish is rich in flavor and makes for a perfect breakfast on a chilly winter’s morning.

Ingredients

(Makes 4 servings)

Sauce Choron

5 grams of Tarragon (1TBS minced)

113 grams of butter (8 TBS)

1 Lemon (30-50 ml of lemon juice depending on flavor preference)

4 egg yolks

40 ml (3 TBS) tomato paste

Egg Stack

3 small beets - Red or Golden

1/2 head of red cabbage

1/4 lbs (125 g) of brussels sprouts

4 slices of bacon - cut in half (2 pieces per dish)

4 eggs

Directions

First, let’s start with your sauce:

Melt the butter over medium to low heat until it starts to foam

While you are heating your butter, you can separate your eggs, finely chop the tarragon, and juice the lemon

Take now foaming butter off heat and use a spoon to skim the foam off. This is helping to clarify the butter, essentially getting rid of milk fat. You can take it one step further and run butter through a cheese cloth. (Note: Clarifying the butter is not a mandatory step, but for those sensitive to dairy and/or following the Paleo protocol this is recommended).

With a small saucepan, fill a quarter of the way with water and place on medium heat

Once it begins to simmer, place a bowl directly on the pot, do not let it touch the water - turn the heat down to low

Place the 4 egg yolks in the bowl and whisk continuously until the egg yolks become pale yellow and slightly thickened

Pour (15 ml) a TBS of the butter into the yolks until completely mixed - once done, continue this step slowly while whisking at the same time. Touch your eggs to make sure they are still warm - You are essentially cooking your eggs at this stage.

Continue to whisk and mix in your tarragon and lemon juice into your egg mixture

At this point you have made a Bearnaise sauce. But let’s make this a true sauce choron

Now, add your tomato paste and mix thoroughly. If it seems too thick, you can add a little bit of water or lemon juice (to taste) to loosen it up.

Now let’s make your “Faux” Benedict stack:

Peel your beets and cut off the bottoms of your brussels sprouts prior to shredding

Shred cabbage, brussels sprouts, and beets in a food processor. I tend to make extra and save it for salads later in the week. Mix together and set in fridge until ready to plate (keeps the veggies crisp)

Place your bacon in a pan and cook to desired crispness - I tend to cut my bacon in half, shorter pieces makes it easier to stack. Remove bacon once cooked and set aside on a plate.

Fill a pot with water and wait until it boils. Once boiling drop to a simmer and place your eggs into the pot and poach for 4 minutes.

Once poached, remove the eggs and place on a paper napkin to allow eggs to wick off any moisture

Place your shredded veggie mix on the plate, add your bacon and then stack an egg on top.

Drizzle sauce on top and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

I use an egg poacher to save on time but feel free to poach your eggs however you see fit.

Clarified Butter - For you Paleo lovers out there, I recommend clarifying your own butter or substituting store bought ghee.

A classic sauce choron typically has about 300 grams of butter (or more!). This sauce has been reduced to bring down calories. Plenty rich as it is!

Slowly add the butter to the whisked egg yolks - if you pour too quickly, you will scramble the eggs

Tarragon & Lemon juice - If you heat the minced tarragon with the lemon, you can get a stronger tarragon flavor. Simply add ingredients to a small ramekin and microwave for 15 seconds.

Shredded veggie mix - This recipe can use zucchini, carrots, kale as substitutes for any of the veggies.

To follow Kari and her story you can visit her blog or follow her on instagram.

We'd love to see what you're cooking too! Just remember to tag your image on instagram with #fftrecipe, we've been loving the results so far!