In a tiny saucepan simmer the lemon juice with 10g butter till well reduced (5 minutes)
Meanwhile, put water, 50mm deep, in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Add salt and vinegar.

Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl over a saucepan of simmering water while adding the lemon juice.
Continue to whisk till thickening. A bit less than 3 minutes. As the eggs get to a bit over 50° they will thicken. Do not overheat. Remove the bowl and the saucepan to the bench and add half a teaspoon of butter and whisk briskly for 30 seconds. Then, at about a heaped teaspoon full at a time add the remaining butter and whisk. Don't add the butter too quickly. Let stand between adding butter. This process will take 4 or 5 minutes.

Reduce the temperature of the boiling water to less than a simmer and crack in the eggs 1 at a time allowing some seperation. Cook gently for 4 minutes or till done as desired.

Use a 90mm Cup or similar and press down on the bread slice to form a round shape. Trim to the round shape  with scissors and toast. Cut a slice of ham with some fat on. Shape to roughly fit on the round toast.

Use a slotted spoon to put and egg on the ham. Remove any excess white from the egg. Cover with Hollandaise sauce. Done this way these eggs are so good that even people that don't like egss like this.

3 minutes is the minimum cook time and the egg will be quiet runny and difficult to plate. 5 minutes and the egg will be well done. Just under 4 minutes is perfect. Very runny yolk but a firm enough white.

3 egg yolks
80g butter at room temperature
1 Tbs lemon juice

1 Tbs rock salt
1 Tbs white vinegar

4 Eggs at room temperature

4 slices white bread

Leg Ham off the bone

This is my favourite breakfast. It just a real shame it contains so much fat and cholesterol or I would cook it everyday. So Mothers Day and Fathers Day is about it. Over the years I have had so many bad cafe versions that now unless I cook it myself I am not wasting the cholesterol bump.

Having made this hundreds of times I know this recipe is the best in texture and taste. But lots of variations are possible with the bread and ham. Muffin or crumpet instead of toast, bacon or smoked salmon instead of ham. Whatever. Although I think the trend of cafes to use thick crusty bread and thick bacon is a long way from the soft texture I achieve. Your sauce should be spongy and glossy. Your egg runny in the middle and the ham sliced thinly on a soft crustless piece of white bread. Delicate is the way to describe a perfect eggs benedict.

People! Warm mayonnaise is not a hollandaise sauce. If you want to add a herb use tarragon.

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