One of my goals for 2013 has been to start saving up money to move to a bigger apartment (or preferably, single-family house). Jules and I would also like to go to France to visit his family, and then there is the general desire to have more cash sitting in the bank – so we have to choose carefully when we want to go out to eat. Brunch is always a luxury that I tend to indulge in with girlfriends, with bottomless mimosas and decadent things like Crab Omelettes or Braised Beef Hash. I haven’t been going to brunch that often these days, but today, since I had the pleasure of spending my lazy Sunday morning with Jules, we decided to do brunch at home with this super easy version of a Smoked Salmon Benedict. No Hollandaise sauce required, instead, crème fraîche provides the silky and rich element for this delectable brunch dish.
Smoked Salmon Benedict
Serves two
4 slices of brioche, crusts removed
butter
4 eggs
1/4 lb. smoked salmon
Chives, chopped fine
Capers, for garnish (optional)
1/2 C crème fraîche
1 t lemon juice, more or less to taste
salt
pepper
Prepare your crème fraîche by stirring with a spoon to get a creamy consistency, and add the lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside.
Poach your eggs. If you are new to poaching eggs, you can use a mold, or check out instructions from Deb over at Smitten Kitchen here. Drain your eggs on a paper towel so they aren’t dripping when you put them on your bread.
Toast your brioche by buttering one side and browning in a skillet (we used a cast-iron skillet). Put two pieces on each plate.
Put 1/4 of the smoked salmon on each piece of toast. Top with the poached egg, followed by a dollop of the crème fraîche mixture, sprinkle chives on top of the whole thing, and finally, a few (or plenty, depending on how much you love them) of capers. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
As with most brunch dishes, this pairs well with a bottomless mimosa!
