Peanut Butter Eggs Benedict

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In this Asian take on eggs benedict, I’ve replaced the hollandaise sauce with a tangy peanut butter sauce. Instead of poaching the eggs, I used an old Japanese technique of slow cooking the egg in the shell.

Originally made in natural onsen (hot springs), the eggs cook at a low temperature for a long time. This sets the eggs with a texture more like crème brûlée than boiled egg. You may not have a hot spring in your backyard, but you can still make these eggs by using a large pot filled with a lot of water, and carefully monitoring the temperature.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Yield: 2-4 servings

Ingredients

4 free-range eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup Smooth Operator peanut butter
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon Asian hot sauce (such as Tobanjan or Sriracha)
2 English muffins
4 thick slices of ham
1 scallion, green part minced

Procedure

1. Preheat your oven to 170°F. Fill a large very heavy pot (such as a dutch oven) with hot water. Use a digital thermometer to measure the temperature of the water. You want to get it to 160°F. Once the water reaches 160°, gently lower the whole eggs into the water. Cover the pot with a lid, then place it in the oven for 35 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to lower the temperature quickly. Or to simplify you can just poach the eggs.

2. To make the sauce, combine the peanut butter and sesame oil until smooth. Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, grated ginger and hot sauce, then stir until smooth.

3. Split the English muffins in half then toast. In a frying pan, add a splash of sesame oil then fry the ham until slightly browned on both sides.

4. To assemble the eggs benedict, spread some peanut butter sauce on each slice of English muffin, and then top with a slice of ham. Break the slow poached egg into a ramekin, and drain off any excess liquid. Gently place an egg on top of each muffin, and sprinkle with minced scallion.