Beetses

Hey moolay, I didn’t know that Amish made eggs benedict. Well, technically dear reader #3, they don’t. But here’s what either of my über menno grandmothers would have certainly done (as did I) if they were charged with the task of making eggs benedict.

1. Made their own English muffins. It’s much different than this experience. Remember how when they were turning a little blue around the edges you could toast that blue right off of them? I do anyhow.

2. Used smokey American bacon from happy heritage pigs. Mrs. Child says to soak the smoke off in hot water, but I just don’t have it in me. I love me a little smoke.

3. Fried eggs in bacon grease. I had started out with the idea of poaching my eggs to make them cheffy and purdy like, but what the hell? I like fried eggs better and wasting bacon grease is just bad form. Especially if 2009 is the new 1929.

On the hollandaise (see Mastering the Art), as you might expect, this was worlds better than the hotel lobby of your nearest Embassy Suites—indulgent, silky, and nuanced with a smattering of dill. I highly recommend trying to make your own at some point. This is how it looked when I was through 1.3 of them:

Over the course of the past several years, it’s been really fun to recreate these iconic escoffier-style dishes. I’ve found when they are made with care, they can be transcendent even at their most rustic. Here’s to proper brunch for dinner—

_Matt