Eggs Benedict/Florentine

[ExtraRefined]

we've tried a wide range of ready made hollandaise sauces

I had no idea such a thing existed![/QUOTE]

It doesn't

 

[gaijingirl]

I had no idea such a thing existed! Any feedback on which ones are passable?

hmm.. the four main ones we've tried are:

Sainsbury's own hollandaise sauce (in a jar)

and there's a French company which sells v. small, v expensive pots of Hollandaise sauce in posh delis (we got one in a posh deli in Wimbledon but I've seen it in that posh deli on the corner of Goose Green also).

Tesco's do a fresh hollandaise too I believe, but I've not tried it.

i think we tried this one too and I think we bought it in the Atlantic road deli..

anyway, none of them have been disgusting. The very expensive one is very very lemony. Personally I don't find the Sainsbury's one too bad and they sell it in the nearest little Sainsbury's and it's not so expensive.

Gaijinboy said he's going to try and make some Delia recipe he's found for quick hollandaise sauce which is supposed to be a bit healthier too - if this happens will report back.

 

[Structaural]

If that technique uses a blender, it works a treat... I'm hungry now...

 

[porno thieving gypsy]

yum

 

[Ms T]

Hollandaise can be quite tricky, but practice makes perfect.

 

[gaijingirl]

Right - as much as I dislike it - we've been lured back to The Florence in Herne Hill as it's just built a huge playroom for kids in its garden which is quite handy. As such, I felt obliged to try out the eggs florentine and grudgingly have to admit it was very good. gaijinboy had the eggs benedict and was also pleased. The fact that they serve a lovely cider called Symonds really helps.

Also discovered today a pub in Greenwich Market which serves DOUBLE PORTIONS of eggs florentine. Will certainly be trying it out soon. The nearby Organic Cafe was a letdown as they served benedict but had no spinach...

 

[ShiftyBagLady]

I quite liked it when I went in, what's the playroom like then?

By the way, I love it when your eggy thread pops up

 

[gaijingirl]

I have to admit the playroom is fantastic. Tons of toys, playgyms and nests for babies, two plasma tvs and a bunch of DVDs of kid's films etc etc...

Eggs... we brought some back from the New Forest at the weekend that had been laid that day - omg they were SOOOOOOO good poached...

 

[ShiftyBagLady]

I've NEVER eaten fresh eggs. That's bloody sad
Right. I'm going to go and have some eggs there. I might go by myself actually, sod the playroom!
(We'll make use of it over the summer I'm sure)

 

[the button]

I had my first ever eggs benedict in Cafe Rouge in Canary Wharf today, and I was very impressed. Served with sauté potatoes and sauté onions (there's a name for that -- possibly potatoes Lyonaisse). Decent thick slices of smoked ham, two perfectly-poached eggs on nice toasted bread. Also, baby-friendly venue as far as I could tell -- i.e. there was a family with a baby in there when I arrived. Five pounds something, IIRC.

 

[Callie]

I have had eggs benedict in Brighton at a place called mange tout, yum!

Have been looking for places selling it around Croydon but haven't spotted anywhere yet. I would attempt it myself but the hollandaise making scares me.

My tummys growly now

 

[gaijingirl]

They're EVERYWHERE these days... it's fantastic! Recently we've not been out for it so much as gaijinboy has honed his skills to perfection, so we have it at home quite often - it's an easy thing to have the ingredients for - muffins in the freezer, we almost always have spinach in the fridge anyway, ditto eggs. I feel it's time to reinstate the search though....

 

[Callie]

urban outing?

 

[gaijingirl]

mmmmmmm eggs and walking?

 

[Callie]

well all that butter needs walking off!

 

[RubyToogood]

Personally, I quite fancy trying an omelette Arnold Bennett some time.

 

[uk benzo]

Cafe Sitifis in Brixton do a nice eggs Florentine that's under four squid. I've not tried their eggs benedict, but the Mrs tells me that it is pretty good.

 

[gaijingirl]

Ah yes - I noticed that a while back but keep forgetting about it. That should really be next on our hit list.

Had never heard of Omelette Arnold Benett... no good for me being veggie but gaijinboy would ADORE that... I'm sure everyone else but me knows what it is but just in case..

"Bennett is one of a select number of celebrities to have a dish named after them. While staying at the Savoy Hotel in London, the chefs perfected an omelette incorporating smoked haddock, which pleased the author so much he insisted on it being prepared wherever he travelled. The 'Omelette Arnold Bennett' has remained a Savoy standard dish ever since."


I've been dying to go to the newly renovated Savoy hotel. Used to walk past it loads when I was a kid and always felt fascinated by the place. I googled Omelette Arnold Benett and they say it gets served at the Savoy every day. I wonder how much they charge for a posh omelette?

 

[miss minnie]

http://www.fairmont.com/NR/rdonlyre...5/0/SVY_Thames_Foyer_All_Day_Dining_Oct10.pdf

Omelette “Arnold Bennett” with baby spinach leaves and light potato-mustard dressing £14.00

Bakery basket £9.50
Danish pastries, croissants, muffins, jam and butter
Croissant, almond, chocolate £6.00
Blueberry or Chocolate chip muffin £4.50
Toasted English muffin £5.50
Toasted crumpets, butter, jams and preserves £5.50
Breakfast cereals £6.50
FRESHLY SQUEEZED FRUIT JUICES
Freshly squeezed orange or pink grapefruit juice £5.50
Freshly squeezed juice of the day £5.50
Freshly pressed apple or carrot juice £5.00
Tomato, cranberry or prune juice £5.00

 

[gaijingirl]

Blimey - that's some pricey eggs... mind you they've got a cup of green tea there for £15 - the eggs look like a bargain in comparison.

Maybe for some kind of special treat...

thanks for that...

 

[miss minnie]

I thought the breakfast cereal for £6.50 sounded like a real bargain!

 

[gaijingirl]

It is the Savoy though - it was hardly going to be buy one get one free for 99p....

 

[miss minnie]

It better be milk from Sacred Cows for that price! And I want my Coco Pops individually wiped before placing in the bowl.

 

[RubyToogood]

You don't HAVE to go to the Savoy, I'm sure there are other places that make omelette Arnold Bennett. It involves both hollandaise and bechamel sauce, so it's not something you'd want to make at home however.

It's odd - you wouldn't imagine Arnold Bennett as someone who stayed regularly at the Savoy and had fancy dishes named after him, what with being a writer of gritty working class Northern literature, but perhaps he was a spectator rather than a participant.

 

[gaijingirl]

really? That didn't occur to me! Still - I would actually like to go to the Savoy anyway... since I can't eat the omelette though I don't mind where that happens!

Eggs Florentine seems to be in loads of Dublin cafes - I've been doing my homework whilst away visiting family. However - many many are putting cheese sauce on instead of hollandaise.... very poor show...

maybe we have some hopes of having yummy dishes named after us....!

 

[gaijingirl]

Have been meaning to say for a while that my local - Brazas -now does pretty much perfect Eggs Florentine.... oh happy days! I am eating EF out less and less as gaijinboy has perfected his own - so it's a fairly regular occurence at home. However, I am still to try Sitifis' version and as I very much like that restaurant, it is on my hit list.

 

[Orangesanlemons]

did an eggs Benedict show that's now on youtube. It's all in Americanese obviously, but there's a lot of interesting historical stuff in there and the recipes are solid. I follow a slightly simpler stovetop method to make muffins, but either way it isn't too hard.

 

[ShiftyBagLady]

Ooh, I thought of his thread last week as I had eggs florentine in a cafe in camberwell, I think it was called Love Walk Cafe.. can't quite remember. The eggs were not runny but the muffin was good, a good portion of spinach and the sauce was very nice. Lovely folk there too and the downstairs was a nice place to sit. I'd go back but I'd ask them to make the eggs runny.
Shiftyjunior had a nice toasted sandwich which came with a food fresh salad and their banana smoothis were delicious.
Coffee was alright, federation have spoiled my palate with their awesome coffee, now every other coffee seems so-so

 

[Ms T]

Have been meaning to say for a while that my local - Brazas -now does pretty much perfect Eggs Florentine.... oh happy days! I am eating EF out less and less as gaijinboy has perfected his own - so it's a fairly regular occurence at home. However, I am still to try Sitifis' version and as I very much like that restaurant, it is on my hit list.

I am not a big fan of poached eggs, but the version at the Duck Egg cafe looked very good. I am also told by an uber-foodie mate that the EB at Casa Sybilla (Brixton Village) is excellent.

 

[ShiftyBagLady]

Must try Sitifi's. I'm sure somebody recommended their cakes too... *salivates*