Hollandaise sauce has a bit of heat
If you’ve done any traveling lately and eaten out for breakfast, you may have noticed how popular eggs Benedict has become across the globe. I was in Detroit lately for a wedding and ate in hotel restaurants for breakfast or brunch on several occasions, and eggs Benedict, or eggs Benny as its more lovingly known, was on every menu.
They weren’t all the same, which was very interesting. There was smoked trout eggs Benedict at the Marriott Renaissance in Detroit. The eggs Benedict at Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan, were of a more-traditional nature, served on English muffins with Canadian bacon and poached eggs then smothered with hollandaise sauce. And my mouth is still watering for the lobster eggs Benny I had in Key West, Florida, a while back. It’s just amazing how a classic egg dish has become as versatile as it has.
But the best eggs Benedict I’ve had lately was a little closer to home. JWB Grill at the Margaritaville Hotel in Nashville has the best eggs Benny, hands down, that I’ve ever had. Chef Kevin Spencer makes his Short Ribs Benny with smoked short ribs chopped then topped with poached eggs atop tender, flaky White Lily biscuits. Then, Spencer tops the whole production with a healthy drizzle of aji rocoto hollandaise sauce.
Rocoto is a member of the pepper family native to South America. It has a little kick to it, so use sparingly if you have a sensitive palate. When ground and combined with garlic and other ingredients, it makes a delicious paste that can be used in numerous recipes, such as Spencer’s hollandaise. Look for aji rocoto paste online at amazon.com or in the international aisle at the grocery store. Goya makes a nice one if you can find it.
While smoked short ribs may not be readily available when you make your next eggs Benedict, you can substitute chopped steak or use this hollandaise sauce for a more traditional eggs Benny. Chances are, though, you can get your hands on some good biscuits or make some from scratch to use instead of English muffins.
JWB Grill’s Aji Rocoto Hollandaise Sauce
4 egg yolks
1/2 ounce water 1 tablespoon white
vinegar
1 tablespoon Key lime
juice
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced, melted
3/4-1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon aji rocoto paste
Add egg yolks, water, vinegar and Key lime juice into a blender. Blend for 30 seconds on low speed. Keep blender on low speed, and slowly add melted butter. Be careful — don’t add butter too fast. Once butter is fully incorporated, transfer sauce to another container, season with salt and aji rocoto paste, to taste.