crostini

Happy almost weekend, y’all!  It’s early for these winter weather shenanigans in the Carolinas, but believe it or not, it snowed!  Again!  I know!  I know!  My northern friends are laughing at me right now because we get a few flurries and a little dusting and we call it snow.  I’m serious as a train wreck when I tell you that when we get exactly 2.5487 flurries of snow in Charlotte everyone loses their mind and forgets how to drive.  A similar situation happens when it rains.

Now, I have no idea what in tarnation makes people freak out and decide they need to clear the Harris Teeter and Publix shelves of all things bread and milk.  That makes zero sense to me.  Who need bread and milk when there is one half of a flake of snow left floating in the air.  And I gotta be honest, when we are expecting serious weather, you know, the kind that brings 2.4783 inches of snow that lands on 54 degree ground and lasts for exactly 4.286 hours before melting?  I don’t know about you, but man, I stock up on beer and wine.  Who needs bread and milk?

Oh!  And vodka.  And Bloody Mary mix.  These are essentials for a snow day.  Or a Sunday.  Or a Saturday.  Don’t judge me.  I’m just keeping things real around here.

Regardless of whether you have your Bloody Mary on a snow day, Sunday, or Sunday.  Or jeeze!  If it blows your dress up, have it on Monday.  There are no judgments here.  This is a safe zone.  My point is that if you are having a Bloody Mary, (at least at my house) you might be having breakfast or if you’re more civilized it would probably be brunch.  Either way, you should totally try these Eggs Benedict Crostini with Asparagus, Bacon, and Easy Hollandaise.  They’re the perfect addition to any breakfast or brunch.

I sincerely hope you (and I) get a snow day, but you don’t have to wait for one to try some delicious breakfast crostini.  If you do, don’t forget to pick up the vodka.And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Eggs Benedict Crostini with Roasted Asparagus, Bacon, and Easy Hollandaise

Ingredients

• 12 -16 asparagus spears tough ends discarded
• splash of olive oil
• pinch of garlic powder
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• 6 pieces of cooked and crispy bacon
• 6 slices of baguette about 1/2 inch thick
• 6 eggs
• chopped parsley for garnish optional

For the Hollandaise Sauce

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 8 tablespoons 1 stick/1/2 cup butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. In a bowl, toss together asparagus, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and roast for 5-7 minutes (depending on size - mine were skinny), set aside
3. Change oven setting to broil
4. Arrange baguette slices on another parchment lined baking sheet and broil 5 minutes, or until toasted
5. In a blender,combine egg yolks, lemon juice, and sage then blend a couple of seconds to combine
6. Melt butter in microwave or on the stove in a pan
7. With the blender running, slowly stream butter into the egg yolks and blend until combined and kind of fluffy
8. Bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer
9. Crack an egg into a small container
10. Slowly dip the container with the egg into the water and let the water go into the container with the egg for a couple of seconds then slowly let the egg slide out into the water
11. Let the egg cook about 2 minutes in the simmering water
12. Remove egg with a slotted spoon and drain with the egg still in the spoon onto a paper towel lined plate
13. Repeat with remaining eggs
14. To assemble, start with the toast, add one slice of bacon, 2-3 asparagus pieces, carefully top with poached egg, spoon a generous amount of hollandaise sauce over the whole thing, garnish with parsley, if using
15. Serve immediately

Hollandaise Sauce adapted slightly from Giada De Laurentiis

Note:  I didn’t add salt to the hollandaise sauce because there is bacon and I accidentally bought salted butter (which I NEVER do) so if you’re using unsalted butter you may want to adjust the seasonings.