Breakfast / Brunch
Eggs Benedict Breakfast Bread Pudding with Spinach & Parmesan and Hollandaise Sauce
Eggs Benedict is delicious, but with all its components it can feel like you need five hands to make it. This casserole version gives you the same great flavors without all the fuss. Then while the main attraction bakes, whip up a homemade hollandaise sauce to round out the meal. This hearty bread pudding will please even the pickiest of breakfast traditionalists — just don’t forget the hollandaise.
Hollandaise is a rich sauce that’s made by emulsifiying butter, vinegar, egg yolks, and lemon juice. It’s classically drizzled over eggs Benedict, and is often served with vegetables.
Ingredients
FOR THE BREAD PUDDING, BRUSH:
SWEAT:
WHISK:
ADD:
FOR THE HOLLANDAISE SAUCE, MELT:
REDUCE:
WHISK:
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Brush butter on cut sides of muffins; season with salt and black pepper. Cut muffin halves into 9 pieces each; arrange on two baking sheets.
Toast muffin pieces until deep golden, about 30 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through.
Sweat onions, garlic, and nutmeg in oil in a skillet over medium heat, covered, until onions soften, 5–6 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook 1 minute.
Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, Parmesan, Dijon, 11/2 tsp. salt, and cayenne in a large bowl.
Add ham, toasted muffin pieces, and spinach mixture and toss to coat. Transfer mixture to prepared dish and cover with plastic wrap, pressing down so muffins begin to absorb liquid. Refrigerate pudding 3 hours or up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 350°. Remove plastic wrap and cover bread pudding with foil.
Bake bread pudding 30 minutes. Remove foil, bake bread pudding 45 minutes more, then transfer to a rack, and let cool 15 minutes. Prepare hollandaise, right, while bread pudding bakes. Drizzle hollandaise over each serving.
To make the Hollandaise Sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; skim off and discard foam.
Reduce vinegar and wine with shallots and peppercorns in a saucepan over medium heat until it measures 3 Tbsp. strained liquid, 15–20 minutes. Simmer 1-inch water in a saucepan over mediumlow heat.
Whisk egg yolks and vinegar reduction in a stainless steel bowl. Place bowl over simmering water (don’t let bowl touch water). Whisk mixture vigorously until yolks begin to thicken and whisk begins to leave trails, 2 minutes. Remove bowl from heat.
Off heat, whisk in 2 tsp. lemon juice. Begin whisking butter into yolk mixture a drop at a time. As the mixture starts to thicken, whisk in remaining butter in a thin stream. If the mixture gets cold, return bowl to pan of simmering water and continue whisking in butter. Whisk in remaining lemon juice; season with salt and cayenne. If sauce seems too thick, thin with a little warm water.
To keep sauce warm, transfer to a heatproof vessel; place in a pan of warm water set over low heat. Stir sauce often to keep smooth.
Brush split English muffins with melted butter to add more flavor and to help them brown.
Cover pudding with foil to help it bake through without browning too much on top.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving with hollandaise
Calories: 621
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 43g 66%
Saturated Fat 24g 120%
Cholesterol 309mg 103%
Sodium 1112mg 46%
Carbs 33g 11%
Fiber 2g 8%
Protein 24g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.