The Eggs Benedict Recipe So Easy, I Made It In A Terrible NYC Kitchen

On Good Chef, Bad Kitchen, professionals take on the ultimate challenge: Cooking in a bare, under-utilized kitchen. In this episode, chef Mimi Weissenborn of Vinateria makes eggs Benedict from scratch in a tiny kitchenette. The catch: She doesn't have a whisk.

Making brunch at home can be a daunting task. The ingredients, the time, the effort, and the fact that you might be hungover all contribute to the likelihood that you'll find yourself out at a restaurant, ordering eggs Benedict instead of making it at home.

When it's your job, though, you can whip up brunch like it's no big deal. So we decided to make this challenge a little more difficult for Chef Mimi Weissenborn of New York City's Vinateria. We asked her to make this classic brunch dish in the tiniest NYC kitchen we could find — with just a burner, a toaster oven, forks, and spoons. There was no whisk in sight.

Watch Mimi take on this challenge above (that two-fork trick is clutch), then read on below for her recipe.

Ingredients
For the biscuits:
1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 cup bread flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
5 tbsps butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg

For the hollandaise:
4 egg yolks
2-3 tbsps lemon juice
White pepper
1 cup butter, melted

For the poached eggs:
2-3 tbsps distilled vinegar
4 eggs
Salt

For assembly:
Canadian bacon
Black pepper

For the biscuits:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.Cut butter into small dice and place in refrigerator.

3. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using hands take chilled butter and start to incorporate into flour mixture, until all pieces have been broken down.

4. In a bowl combine buttermilk, heavy cream and eggs. Beat mixture together until well combined.

5. Add wet mixture into the dry, kneading the dough together ever so lightly until it comes together. Wrap dough mixture in plastic and let rest in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.

6. Roll out rested dough on a well floured surface, about an inch thick. Use a round or squared ring mold to cut the biscuits. Place on a parchment lined sheet tray.

7. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

For the hollandaise:
1. In the top of a double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, white pepper, if you have it.

2. Add melted butter to egg yolk mixture, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, while whisking yolks constantly. If hollandaise gets too thick, add a tsp or two of hot water.

3. Continue whisking until all butter is incorporated. Whisk in salt, cover and store in warm place.

For the eggs:
1. Fill a medium sized pot with 3 inches of water, add vinegar and season with salt (to taste).

2. Bring to a simmer. Hint: it should never boil. Gently crack an egg into the center of pot, allowing the white to envelope the yolk. Check the eggs after 4 minutes.

3. Repeat steps with remaining eggs. Use slotted spoon to lift egg out of the water. The whites should be firm and the yolks still soft to touch; if the egg is still not quite done drop back in the water for an additional minute. When eggs have reached desired firmness remove from water and place on a paper towel lined plate.

4. Assemble your eggs Benedict by cutting the biscuits in half, placing them cut-side up. Fry some Canadian bacon, flipping occasionally until both sides have browned. Place bacon on top of the biscuits, followed by a poached egg, a spoonful or two of hollandaise sauce, and some freshly cracked pepper. Serve immediately.