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EGG-CITING MEAL

Easter Breakfast ‘Benedict’

Cocoa Pain Perdu, Cured Duck, Asparagus, Poached Quail egg & Hollandaise

Ingredients:

Cocoa Pain Perdu

• Brioche Loaf (or White Bread): 200gms
• Cocoa Powder: 50gms
• Milk: 100ml
• Whole Egg: 1
• Sugar: 40gms
• Cinnamon Powder: 2gms

Hollandaise Sauce

• Egg Yolk: 2
• Butter: 300gms
• White grape vinegar reduction: 20ml
• Lemon Juice: 5ml
• Cured Duck Breast (or any cured meat thinly sliced): 100gms
• Quail Egg: 4
• Asparagus Tips: 4

Method:

Hollandaise Sauce:

• Melt the whole butter until the milk solids separate from the oil; let it sit for some time and carefully transfer the oil into a separate container. This will be your hollandaise base.
• Using a whisk, whip up the egg yolks in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure not to cook the egg yolks, you just need to heat it up and infuse air inside it. Slowly pour your warm clarified butter over the yolks making sure that you continuously whisk it. Pour it in a thin stream so that it will bind together. Add in your vinegar reduction and a dash of lemon juice and season with salt. Set aside.

Cocoa Pain Perdu:

• In a bowl, mix together the milk, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder and egg. Dip your Brioche slice (or white bread) in the mixture and pan cook it in a hot skillet with butter. Flip the Pain Perdu after 1–2 minutes of cooking on both sides depending on how thick it is. Make sure you get a nice golden brown colour on the bread.
• Slice your cured duck into very thin cuts and set aside. In a separate pot, blanch the asparagus tips in hot water and toss them in some olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Wrap each asparagus tip with the pre-sliced cured duck and arrange them on top of your Cocoa Pain Perdu.
• Poach the quail eggs for 45 seconds and place them directly on the plate. Finish off by placing a dollop of hollandaise sauce on the plate and a sprinkle of sea salt. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Recipe courtesy Chef John Buenaventura, Chef de Cuisine, Monte-Carlo Beach Club, Saadiyat