Easy eggs Benedict with pork rashers

This hollandaise sauce takes minutes to prepare, and you don’t need to fiddle with a double boiler – just use your microwave! Enjoy with smoky bacon rashers, toasted English muffins, wilted spinach and fried eggs. 

Cut:

Ingredients

  • 4 English muffins, cut in half
  • 8 smoked pork belly rashers, cut in half
  • 80g mixed baby spinach, rocket and watercress
  • a handful of fresh basil (optional)
  • 8 large eggs
  • olive oil for shallow-frying
  • 30ml chopped chives

 

MICROWAVE HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 15ml fresh lemon juice
  • 5ml Dijon mustard
  • 10ml crème fraîche or sour cream (optional)
  • 125ml melted butter

Method

1 Start with the hollandaise sauce Using an electric beater, beat the egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard and crème fraîche together until slightly thickened. You can season the sauce with salt and pepper but remember that the butter is also salty. Gradually beat in the butter until the sauce is thick and smooth.

2 Now cook the sauce in the microwave for 1 minute on high, stopping to beat the sauce every 15 seconds. It should be light, fluffy, thick and creamy. You can dilute the sauce and adjust the consistency with a teaspoon or two of boiling water.

3 Using a large frying pan, toast the English muffins. Remove from the pan, add a little olive oil, and fry the pork belly rashers until golden-brown and cooked. Scoop out and add the spinach, rocket and watercress to the same pan. Fry for a minute or two until wilted. 

Tip If there is too much oil in the pan, reserve some for the eggs you’re going to cook next.

4 Now fry the eggs, sunny side up, until cooked to your liking. Add oil sparingly as needed; remember, the sauce is rich.

5 To serve Top the toasted English muffins with the cooked spinach and fresh basil (optional). Add the pork belly rashers followed by the eggs and lastly the luxurious hollandaise sauce. Finish with a sprinkling of fresh chives.