Crab Cake Benedict
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I love brunch, it’s a great time to share with family and friends and it allows you to mix breakfast foods with lunch and dinner fare to create tasty combinations. Although this recipe may seem complicated it is basically simple parts combined. The real secret is in getting the melding of flavors and textures; crispy potato, soft egg with warm runny yoke and the creamy richness of the hollandaise sauce to combine with the crab cake.
Crab Cake
- ½ pound of crab, drained and picked for any shell
- ½ cup of finely diced bell pepper and onion sautéed in butter
- ½ cup of grated apple
- 2 Tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
- Pinch of tarragon
- Panko Bread crumbs
- Olive Oil
Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl press into ½ inch thick cakes then coat in panko breadcrumbs, fry the cakes in olive oil till nicely browned, keep warm.
Potato Cake
Grate 1 medium potato to make four cakes. Wash well, but leave the skin on for additional flavor. Put the grated potato in a salted water bath and lemon juice. (This will keep them from turning dark) You have to extract water from the potato to get them crispy. This can be accomplished by squeezing them (in a potato ricer) or by spreading them on a baking sheet and putting them in a 200 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Fry palm sized cakes and keep warm.
Hollandaise Sauce
Using a blender, combine 1 stick of melted butter and three egg yolks, add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice to thin the sauce. Add a dash of cayenne pepper if desired. Keep warm. You can increase this by adding 3 tablespoons of butter per yolk.
Poached Egg
You can use an egg poacher or if poaching in an open pot, add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the water bring to boil then turn down just before adding the egg. Gentle swirl the water with the egg in it, do not overcook the eggs, the yolk should be runny. This is the hardest part to get right.
Place a warm potato cake on a plate, top with a crab cake, then the egg, and then finish with hollandaise, garnish as desired with parsley or basil florets, dust with paprika if desired.
Enjoy, Glenn
