Surprise your Mum this Mother’s Day with a breakfast to remember: Eggs Benedict with Parma Ham. Simply whisk egg yolks, lemon juice and vinegar together to make a thick and creamy Hollandaise sauce. Lightly toast slices of Italian ciabatta, drizzle with olive oil and rub with fresh basil. Poach the eggs for two minutes and place each on top of the grilled ciabatta. Spoon over plenty of Hollandaise sauce and finish with slices of Parma Ham. It’s eggstremely delicious!
Parma Ham is a completely natural food with nothing added except salt. Making a Parma Ham is a long and painstaking process. The curing is controlled carefully so that the ham absorbs only enough salt to preserve it to retain its distinctive sweet flavour.
Prosciutto di Parma is produced in the hills surrounding the Italian town of Parma. The air in the Parmesan hills is unique, dry and sweet-smelling with breezes from the Apennine mountains, creating perfect environmental conditions for a natural “drying” of the hams.
Italian Style Eggs Benedict with Parma Ham
WHAT YOU NEED
2 thick slices of ciabatta bread
1-2 tbsp olive oil
4 basil leaves
4 slices Parma Ham
2 eggs
salt and black pepper
Hollandaise sauce:
3 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
150g butter, melted
pinch of nutmeg
WHAT TO DO
Lightly toast the ciabattas on both sides, drizzle with olive oil and rub basil leaves into the bread. Lay a slice of Parma Ham on top of each and then grill for 1-2 minutes. Keep warm
To make the hollandaise sauce, whisk the egg yolks until creamy. Place the lemon juice and vinegar in a small sauce pan along with the bay leaf and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour slowly into the egg yolks in a steady stream, whisking continuously
Pour the melted butter into the egg mixture in the same way, whisking continuously until the sauce has thickened
Add a pinch of nutmeg and season to taste. Keep warm and stir at regular intervals to prevent a skin from forming
To poach the eggs, bring a large saucepan with 10cm water to the boil. Crack each egg into a small bowl and then tip carefully into the boiling water. Poach for two minutes and then carefully lift out of the water. Drain
To serve, place a poached egg on top of each slice of ciabatta, spoon over plenty Hollandaise sauce and arrange another slice of Parma Ham on top of each serving
Top tip – Poach two eggs per serving if you are feeling especially hungry. The nutmeg can be omitted if you prefer.
