STEAMED BROCCOLI WITH HOLLANDAISE
Hollandaise is one of my favorite sauces, and probably the reason I order eggs Benedict any time I’m out to brunch. Often, I don’t think to serve it over anything other than a poached egg, but broccoli does a great job holding up to hollandaise’s buttery richness. I like to simply steam the broccoli while I mix up the hollandaise and then dip the broccoli into the sauce. SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
1 large head broccoli
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup unsalted, grass-fed butter (1 full stick), melted
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Salt
- In a steamer over boiling water, steam the broccoli for 4 to 5 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer addition for your saucepan, you can boil the broccoli for 1 to 1½ minutes.
- Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer. To make the hollandaise sauce, in a heatproof bowl that will fit over the saucepan (without the bottom touching the water), quickly whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together until the mixture becomes frothy and starts to expand, about 30 seconds. Place the bowl over the saucepan, and continue to whisk. Slowly drizzle the melted butter in while stirring and continuing to whisk until the sauce has doubled in size, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the cayenne and a pinch of salt, and serve immediately or keep warm over a pan of warm (not hot) water until ready to serve.
VARIATION 1 STEAMED BROCCOLI WITH CHIPOTLE HOLLANDAISE: 1 tablespoon of the sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce added to the hollandaise will give it a lovely smoky flavor.
VARIATION 2 STEAMED ASPARAGUS WITH HOLLANDAISE: Swap the broccoli for steamed asparagus. Follow the original recipe as written, but steam the asparagus for 6 to 8 minutes.
