Eggs Benedict with Morels

Prepare the Morels

1. Clean and chop the morels.

2. Sauté in 2 Tbsp. butter until they release their liquid and brown slightly (5 to 15 minutes, depending on how you chop them).

3. Set aside.

Prepare Hollandaise Sauce

1. Separate 3 of the eggs. Place the yolk, lemon juice, and cayenne in blender.

2. Cover, and then quickly turn the blender on and off.

3. Heat 1/2 cup butter till melted and almost boiling.

4. Turn blender on high speed, and then slowly pour in the butter, blending till thick and fluffy (about 30 seconds).

5. Keep mixture heated by placing bottom of container in or over a bath of hot water till ready to serve.

Poach the Eggs

1. Melt 1 to 2 Tbsp. butter in frying pan.

2. Add milk to about 1/2" depth, and bring to simmer.

3. Crack 4 eggs, keeping them whole and intact, and drop into simmering milk, keeping eggs separate from each other.

4. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, spooning some of the simmering milk over the eggs occasionally, until the eggs reach your desired doneness.

5. Loosen eggs from bottom of pan with a large spoon.*

Assemble and Serve

1. In the meantime, preheat broiler.

2. Split English muffins and butter them.

3. Toast under broiler until they start to brown.

4. Place Canadian bacon on top, and continue broiling until bacon is hot (follow the bacon's instructions).

5. Place the poached eggs on the Candian bacon, spoon sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the sautéed morels.

* Zero-waste note: The cup of milk you used for poaching the eggs will now taste like milk and egg, and it will have absorbed some of the protein from the eggs. You can discard it if you wish, or you can strain and reuse the milk as a savory, high protein ingredient in other dishes (as long as the egg was cooked through and you kept the milk bath clean). For example, use it as an ingredient in waffle dough, béchamel sauce, chowder, egg nog, or one of the creamy mushroom soups listed on this website. (It might taste odd in sweeter foods, but feel free to experiment.) If you save the milk for later use, just be sure to store it properly.