The new Egg Benedict
All of the benedict, all of the chicken-friendly eggs. This recipe is an act in multiple plays. It might test your patience (and kitchenware), but it will bedazzle anyone you serve this to. For this ultimate edition, we are ditching the scrambled tofu and bringing in our gloriously gooey roasted pumpkin fried "egg" to give you that authentic runny yolk experience.
INGREDIENTS
For the English muffins (makes 8-10)
125 ml of unsweetened almond or soy milk — we know you're sweet, but please don't project this onto the milk you're using for this recipe.
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar.
1 tbsp of sugar.
1.25 tsp of active dried yeast.
178 ml of lukewarm water — you know, the temperature you hate for a shower? not warm enough to relax or cold enough to benefit your stupid health?
2 tbsp of vegan butter (unsalted).
450 gr of all-purpose flour.
1 tsp of salt.
A smidge of cornstarch.
For the hollandaise sauce
20 gr of butter.
10 gr of all-purpose flour.
120 ml of unsweetened almond or soy milk.
60 ml of water.
1 tsp of lemon juice — bottled lemon juice is fine.
1 tsp of mustard — Bert would advise you to go with Dijon mustard.
⅛ tsp of salt — or more, to taste.
1/4 tsp of garlic powder.
1.5 tsp of nutritional yeast.
For the rice paper bacon
8-10 sheets of rice paper — you can find this in most supermarkets, or the Asian supermarket.
4 tbsp of nutritional yeast — use the gluten-free version if you have a sensitive gut.
1 tbsp of garlic powder.
4 tbsp of olive oil.
6 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari — for a gluten-free alternative.
1 tbsp of BBQ sauce.
1 tbsp of agave syrup.
½ tsp of ground pepper.
½ tsp of ground red pepper.
¼ tsp of ground ginger.
⅛ tsp of cayenne.
For the fried "egg" (makes 5 eggs)
65 gr of raw pumpkin — sliced into chunks.
Olive oil — a generous drizzle for roasting.
¼ tsp of black salt (kala namak) — this salt has a distinct sulfur smell that mimics real eggs.
1/2 tsp of mustard.
4 to 5 tbsp of water.
1 tbsp of cornstarch — divided (½ tbsp for the yolk, ½ tbsp for the white).
25 gr of rice flour.
120 ml of room temperature unsweetened soy milk
A pinch of black salt (kala namak).
PREPARATION
THE ENGLISH MUFFINS
Grab a small cooking pot. Add the milk, vinegar, and butter. Put on medium heat and whisk until the butter is melted. We know you're hot, but take it easy. The mixture should not be brought to a boil.
Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool until it's lukewarm.
Stir in the sugar and the active dried yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes and take a breath.
If you have a stand mixer, grab its bowl. If not, just grab a large mixing bowl. Add in flour and salt and quickly combine using the dough hook attachment (or your bare hands if you're committed).
Next, fold in the milk yeast mixture and lukewarm water. Knead for 4-5 minutes at low speed until the dough is smooth and soft.
Grease up another bowl. If there was ever a time to put your family or friends to work to do the dishes, this is it. Place your baby dough in the bowl, cover it with film wrap or a kitchen towel, and find a warm, dark place to let it rise until it doubles in size (about 2 hours). (Optional) Cover yourself in the same warm, dark place as your dough, and take a nap. You deserve it.
When the dough has doubled, sprinkle a pinch of flour on it. Now imagine the dough is your evil ex or that kid who used to bully you in school and punch it down.
Lightly flour a surface, roll the dough until it's about 1.5cm thick, and cut into rounds using a water glass or cookie cutter.
Sprinkle some cornstarch on a surface and dip each dough round into it on both sides, then place on a parchment-lined baking tray. Cover with a towel and let rise for another 40-ish minutes.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Don't add anything greasy! No butter, no oil... Nada! This is a chaste space; the muffins should not touch.
Place a lid on the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes. Flip gently, replace the lid, and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes.
THE HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
Heat the butter in a cooking pot over medium heat.
Once melted, turn off the heat and whisk in the flour until smooth. No lumps, people!
Fold in the milk, water, lemon juice, mustard, salt, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast, and whisk away.
Turn the heat back to low-medium and keep whisking until it thickens (about 3-5 minutes). Serve warm. And by warm, we mean $65^{\circ}C$. That's the perfect temperature for sauce.
THE BACON
Preheat the oven to $200^{\circ}C$. Grab a bowl and whisk together all your marinade ingredients.
Place a sheet of rice paper on a plate and brush one side with marinade. Flip and repeat. Place a second sheet of rice paper on top of the first and do the same.
Cut the paper into bacon-like strips, or break them for a scruffier touch. Disclaimer! That stuff is sticky. We recommend storing leftovers in a cross-like pattern. You'll thank us later.
Put the strips on a baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes until crispy. Keep a close eye on them though, as they burn easily.
THE FRIED "EGG"
Preheat your oven to $180^{\circ}C$. Toss the pumpkin chunks with a drizzle of olive oil, spread them out on a baking tray, and let them roast in the oven for 40 minutes until they are perfectly soft. Because let's be honest, roasting brings out way more flavour than boiling ever could.
Transfer your roasted pumpkin to a blender, add the ¼ tsp black salt, mustard, and water, and blend until smooth. Mix in the ½ tbsp of cornstarch and set your bright orange "yolk" aside.
For the egg white, grab another bowl (nobody said we would go easy on the dishes) and mix the rice flour, ½ tbsp cornstarch, soy milk, and black salt.
Heat a non-stick egg pan over high heat and brush generously with neutral oil. Make sure the pan is very hot before proceeding—we want that sizzle.
Give your egg white mixture a really good stir to wake up the flour, then carefully scoop about 1.5 to 2 tbsp into the pan. Lower the heat to medium.
Add about 1 to 1.5 tbsp of your pumpkin yolk mixture right into the centre, cover with a lid, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until a thin film forms over the yolk. While you wait, recite five things you're grateful for. Or not.
NOW LET'S BRING THIS BABY HOME!
Assemble the muffin with your glorious vegan fried "egg", the hollandaise, and the bacon... And beam with pride as everyone is stunned by the fact that you don't need any harm to animals for restaurant-worthy eggs benedict.