LND: Wake Up and Smell the Bacon

My favorite brunch item is most definitely Eggs Benedict.  It's because of the Hollandaise sauce. but I could do without the Canadian bacon.  So when I have time for making my own weekend brunch, I'm a fan of Benedict variations, with or without the sauce. 

Thanksgiving weekend we had leftover mini english muffins from the shrimp melts, but no hollandaise sauce so I came up with this version: Toasted English Muffin, Bacon, Avocado, Pesto sauce, Garlic/herb cheese spread, Poached Egg.  The runny yolks provided all the "sauce" we needed for what a restaurant might deem a "California" benedict.  (apparently California is all about avocados and bacon, at least that's what I've learned from ordering the "California" version of many restaurant menu items).

To prepare, toast the English muffin halves, crisp the bacon, slice the avocado.

To get perfectly poached eggs, bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Using a slotted spoon, spin the water in a circular motion to create movement in the pot.  Crack an egg into a small prep bowl and quickly remove the spinning spoon and add the egg to the center of the spinning water in the pot.  This causes the white to wrap around the yolk and avoid all the extra stringiness that can come from plopping a raw egg into a regular pot of boiling water.  

Assemble.  Spread a light layer of pesto on the toasted english muffins.  Add a dallop of cheese (I used Alouette brand spreadable garlic/herbs cheese).  Top with bacon, two avocado slices, then nestle the poached eggs on top, using the slotted spoon to remove them from the boiling water.  Sprinkle with pepper and serve.