Croque-Madame Benedict

I've been meaning to make a croque-madame for a while now but wasn't too into the idea of adding béchamel sauce to the top so I decided to add hollandaise instead. My dad makes a mean hollandaise and as a kid every time he made eggs benedict I was in charge of making sure it stayed lump-free by constantly stirring it. 

This recipe is tricky because basically you have to make everything at once and it all cooks fast. Find a helper to stir the hollandaise if you can.

Ingredients (for 2):

• 2 pieces of thick sliced sourdough
• about 6 thin slices of ham
• 2 slices of cheese (I used swiss but grated gruyère is what is commonly used)
• 2 eggs (to poach) + 3 egg yolks (for the hollandaise)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

To make the hollandaise, stir the egg yolks and lemon juice with a whisk in a sauce pan. Add half of the butter and melt it slowly into the yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Now add the other half of the butter and let that melt, stirring constantly.

Place three slices of ham on to each slice of bread and top with cheese. Put it in the oven at about 400 degrees until the cheese melts.

Boil water in a pan and crack two eggs into it. Let them cook for about 3-4 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them on top of the melted cheese.

Top each one with hollandaise. Cut those babies in half and enjoy!

Recently

Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies

I had a box of brownie mix that I wanted to add something to so when I found this recipe via Joy the Baker I decided to give it a try. Joy makes hers from scratch and I would have but I was feeling extra lazy. To make your own, start by making the brownie batter. You can follow Joy's recipe, use a box, or you could try my homemade brownie recipe.

Once you have your brownie batter prepared, pour it into a greased 9x13 pan. Now start on the peanut butter mixture. You will need...

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (if you're using a box of brownie mix, I would add less powdered sugar since those mixes are usually extra sweet to begin with)
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all of the ingredients for the peanut butter mixture and pour it over the brownie batter. Swirl it around. Now add your pretzels. You can leave them whole or crunch them up like I did.

Bake them according to the brownie recipe you used but keep in mind that they might take a little longer because of the added ingredients. Take them out of the oven when a toothpick comes out almost clean. Wait for them to cool before cutting them up. Beware, these babies are rich!