Benaddicted to eggs,'What one man can invent another can discover.'

This is one of the prettiest Benedicts I´ve ever seen!

Eggs Benedict represents everything we should not be eating in the mornings. It's a decadent stack of bacon, poached eggs and English muffin that gets generously doused in a buttery, rich hollandaise sauce; it's no wonder then that Eggs Benedict is one of the best-tasting dishes you can find on a breakfast menu anywhere.It still remains one of my all time favourite breakfast dishes, probably for that very same indulgent reason.You can not imagine what happened recently when I put Benedict Cumberbatch into a google search and what came up was a recipe for Eggs Benedict Cumberbatch. Eggs Arnold Bennett perhaps?-No there it was bold as Sherlock. I knew what this post would be about the moment I saw eggs and Cumberbatch in the title.

Mmmmmm, anything Cumberbatch is bound to be seriously delicious!Well isn´t it? Sherlock did it for me big time.... but I never thought of making something in his honour. This is genius!

I was beyond excitement.It immediately got me thinking that if the Savoy Hotel had created an *omelette in the name of a turn of the century English novelist, then why not create a modern twist of a classic egg dish for one of todays rising stars of the silver screen.I am a great fan of the Cumberbatch, he actually  deserves an entire breakfast buffet named after him he is so yummy!!! I loved the idea of this as much as I also love Watson his side kick, the cute and adorable Martin Freeman.The author of the post,  Molly Yeh , served her Benedict up on a delicious hunk of Polenta.

'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.'

 Sherlock Holmes

-A Study in Scarlet

Swapping the English muffin for a polenta disc makes it even more decadent, and whilst I love the classic version of this dish, there are many variations that are worth trying too. Replacing the pork and fishifying  it with salmon lightens it up a bit and adding avocado is not a bad idea.

Change the bread,trade the poached eggs for other types of eggs or totally deconstruct it or re-imagine it.This got me harking back to a commission I was given back in 1987 to create the "ultimate Italian sandwich." 28 years later, given the inspiration, this seemed like the perfect time to give one of my signature dishes a makeover.The original recipe was Grilled Polenta with smoked salmon avocado and mascarpone.Today for my Portuguese Ben -addiction I served up a sandwich of Milho Frito ( a kind of Portuguese bubble and squeak) with a filling of smoked salmon, avocado "Hollandaise",and rocket. My Avocado “Hollandaise” is not technically a hollandaise or a variant. But maybe you guessed that from the quotation marks. It’s really just pureed avocado with a bit of lemon juice,Flor de sal, water, and olive oil, but it makes a great healthy option for a weekend benedict.Is there a vegan in the house?

MY INSPIRATION

eggs benedict cumberbatch (Molly yeh)

from bottom to top:

a slice of pre-cooked polenta, fried in a bit of butter, salted

two slices of canadian bacon, lightly browned

one egg, fried in a greased heat-safe biscuit cutter, salted and peppered

three leaves of fresh arugula

a few shavings of parmesan

optional tabasco 

My re-auditioned Benedict (top)

For the Milho Frito base
Serves 6
450g (1lb) fine ground cornmeal (polenta)
50g (2oz) butter
2 teaspoons Flor de sal
about 450g dark green cabbage,finely shredded
0live oil for frying

For the Filling
6 slices of smoked salmon
1 bunch of rocket
6 poached eggs

For the "Avocado hollandaise"
1 very ripe avocado, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Flor de sal
Freshly ground pepper

Mix half the cornmeal with 300ml (1/2 pint) cold water until smooth and free of lumps.Bring 2.5 litres of water to the boil in a heavy pan with the butter and salt.Stir in the watered cornmeal and bring back to the boil.Add the cabbage.Cook for about 10 minutes until the cabbage is tender.Sprinkle in the rest of the cornmeal,bring back to the boil again and stir over the heat for another 20 -30 minutes (depending on the manufacturers instructions and how finely ground it is),until the mixture is thick and pulls away from the base and sides of the pan.If you need extra water,make sure it´s boiling.
Tip out onto a lightly oiled shallow baking tray.Smooth the polenta out in an even layer using a metal spatula dipped in hot water. Cover with a tea towel and leave to set and cool for at least one hour or up to 24 hours overnight in the refrigerator.When ready to make your benedicts press out 12 circles using a 10cm cutter. Fry the circles in two batches on both sides in shallow oil until crisp and golden.
Keep your first batch warm in the oven while you fry the second batch.

Place a slice of polenta on each serving plate  and cover generously with rocket leaves.Arrange slices of smoked salmon on top and then nestle the poached eggs into the salmon.Pour the "hollandaise over the top.Position the second slices of polenta at an angle against the stack.

In a blender, combine the avocado and lemon juice with 1/3 cup of hot water. Puree until smooth and light in texture, about 2 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl occasionally. With the machine on, drizzle in the olive oil and puree until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the hollandaise over poached eggs.

*Arnold Bennett was so delighted with the egg, smoked haddock and parmesan concoction that chefs at the Savoy created for him, he insisted on it being made wherever he travelled. And at the Savoy, Omelette Arnold Bennett remains a standard dish to this day.