Eggs Royale is definitely one of my favourite brunch dishes and I love having it in a restaurant or cook it at home. Sometimes I do not the time to actualy prepare it as it should be done, following the original preparation for poached eggs. I have found a shortcut alternative that saves time and cn be prepared also in a minimalist kitchen just with a microwave.

There are many storries about the origins of this dish. The one I like best was reported in an in interview to Lemuel Benedict to The New Yorker in 1942. The retired stockbroker claimed he once wandered into the Waldorf Hotel and ordered “buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise” as a cure for his morning hangover. The chef of the hotel was impressed by the preparation and included it on the breakfast menu of the hotel restaurant. Since then Eggs Benedict and the many following variations, including this one with salmon instead of bacon or ham, has been a favourite brunch serving all over the world.

Ingredients for 2 people:

• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 50g of smoked salmon
• 2 muffins or slices of artisanal bread
• Fresh dill sprigs, chopped
• Nutmeg
• Black pepper
• Salt

To serve:

• Hollandaise sauce or mayonnaise 
• Rocket salad

Preparation:

1. Toast the muffins or the sliced bread;
2. Butter two microwave-resistant serving bowls;
3. Lay the sliced muffins or the sloced bread at the bottom of the bowls;
4. Put a slice of salmon on top of the bread and sprinkle with lemon juice and half of the chopped dill;
5. Lightly season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg;
6. Break two eggs in each bowl;
7. Season again with salt, pepper, and nutmeg;
8. Cover the egs with the rest of the salmon and the chopped dill, sprinkle with some more lemon juice;
9. Fold inwards the edges of the salmon to cover partially the eggs;
10. Microwave for about 2 minutes at maximum power;
11. Serve hot with sauce hollandaise or mayonnaise and some rocket salad.

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Traditional cooking

Food & cooking