Say Hello to Your New Favorite Brunch: Asparagus Eggs Benedict

Pretty bundles of bacon-wrapped asparagus take the place of English muffins in this Paleo-friendly benedict.  

Asparagus Eggs Benedict Recipe

Yield: 4 servings
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Hollandaise Sauce

12 tablespoons ghee 
 4 egg yolks
 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Sea salt and pepper
2 pinches cayenne pepper

Poached Eggs

6 eggs 
1 tablespoon vinegar 
Extra salt and pepper to season

1 pound asparagus, trimmed 
6 slices thin-cut bacon or prosciutto 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 teaspoon Maldon salt 

Instructions

Melt the ghee in a small saucepan. Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a blender and blend on high. With the blender running, pour in the hot ghee and blend for 30 seconds until the sauce is thick (use caution when blending hot liquids). Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use.

Fill a sauce pan with 3 inches of water and bring to just a boil. Pour in vinegar. Using a whisk, vigorously swirl water until a vortex forms in the center. Crack 1 egg into a ramekin and slide egg into vortex and continue to swirl water with whisk around edges of pan until it returns to a boil. The egg white should wrap tightly around the yolk, forming an oval shape. Cook 3 minutes. Remove from water with a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl to keep warm, then repeat with remaining eggs.

Divide the asparagus into 6 bunches and wrap each around the center with a strip of bacon, overlapping the ends by at least 1 inch.

In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil, sprinkle in salt, and sear the bacon-asparagus bundles on each side to cook the asparagus and crisp up the bacon.

To assemble, place 1 poached egg over each bundle of asparagus and drizzle generously with hollandaise. Season if necessary with salt and pepper.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont