RECIPE
Wood pigeon eggs benedict with beetroot hollandaise & crispy bacon
Rachel Green
SERVES 2
• 2 raw beetroots ( 250g )
• 50g brown sugar
• 100ml red wine vinegar
• 200ml double cream
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar , plus 1 tsp for the poaching water
• 4 eggs , plus 2 egg yolks
• pinch of sea salt flakes
• 280g butter , 250g melted
• 8 wood pigeon breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 rashers streaky bacon , grilled until crisp
• 2 muffins , sliced in half and toasted
• handful chopped chives , to serve
1 . For the beetroot purée , put the beetroot and a pinch of salt in a saucepan and cover with water . Cook on a low heat between 20 mins and 1 hr , until the beetroot is soft – you may need to top up the cooking water . When soft , drain well and return to the pan , stirring to evaporate the last of the liquid . 2 . Add the brown sugar and red wine vinegar , then cook on a low heat until the liquid is a nice caramel colour . Add the double cream and cook for 2-3 mins until thickened . Put the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth . Season and set aside . 3 . To make the hollandaise sauce , put the beetroot purée , 1 tbsp vinegar , 2 egg yolks and sea salt flakes into a food processor and blitz until smooth . Slowly add 250g melted butter . Tip into a heatproof bowl and put over a pan of barely simmering water . Whisk until thickened slightly , then remove from the heat but keep the bowl above the pan , covered , so that the hollandaise stays warm .
4 . Season both sides of the pigeon breasts with salt . Heat the olive oil and 30g butter in a non-stick frying pan and fry the pigeon breasts , skin-side down , until golden in colour ( about 2 mins ). Turn the breasts over and cook for a further 1-2 mins , basting them with the oil and butter . Remove the breasts from the pan and allow to rest for 5 mins before slicing thickly . 5 . Meanwhile bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and add 1 tsp vinegar . Reduce the heat until the water is barely simmering and then poach the eggs , two at a time , until just cooked . 6 . Place a rasher of bacon , cut in half , on each muffin half and top with two sliced pigeon breasts . Top with a poached egg and spoon the beetroot hollandaise over the egg . Sprinkle with chopped chives . Repeat with the remaining muffin halves . Serve two muffin halves per person .
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