Eggs Woodhouse

* ½ of a cup of béchamel sauce (the recipe is posted below)
* One cup of creamed spinach (the recipe is posted below)
* ½ of a cup of hollandaise sauce (the recipe is posted below)
* Two artichoke bottoms (best with Camus de Bretagne or Blanc d’Oran)
* Two ounces of Pata Negra ham
* A Perigord truffle
* A teaspoon of Beluga caviar
* A pinch of paprika
* A pinch of Kashmiri saffron

### Poached Egg Recipe

Eggs are not all that difficult to poach, but if you have never done this technique before, it can take a bit to perfect. For this dish, you will want to start with a pan, preferably one that has a copper bottom. Fill the pan with about two inches of **distilled water** and one tablespoon of **white vinegar**. Bring the water and vinegar bath to a boil.

While the water is heating up, you will need to break the two eggs into **separate ramekins**. These eggs should be organic brown eggs from grass-fed, free-range chickens. Once the eggs are in the ramekins, you can gently slide them one at a time into the water and vinegar bath. Cook the eggs for about two to two and a half minutes, spooning the hot water and vinegar over the eggs as they cook. You can also gently stir the eggs while they are in the water to cook them, just be careful not to break them during the process. After two minutes or so has elapsed, remove the eggs with a slotted or a mesh spoon. Be very careful not to overcook the eggs. ou want the yolk to be a little bit runny when it is served, which is part of what makes this such a rich dish.

### Béchamel Sauce Recipe

In a saucepan, melt one tablespoon of butter over low heat. **Beurre d’Ardenne** or **Mantequilla de Soria** are the preferred options for butter in this dish. Make sure that you do not brown the butter while you are melting it. Gradually add one tablespoon of organic flour into the **melted butter**. Stir the mixture with a wire whisk until it is well blended. Once this is achieved, slowly pour in 1/3 of a cup of organic milk. It must be whole milk, and the milk must be stirred as it is added to the pot.

Add one bay leaf to the pot, and allow the milk mixture to simmer on low heat until it thickens. The milk must be stirred while it is thickening as well so that it does not curdle. Once the sauce is thick, remove it from the heat and add four dashes of **hot sauce** into the mixture. Also, add ¼ of a teaspoon of sea salt to the sauce. Combine this sauce with the **spinach** when it is ready. Make sure to combine them over low heat while constantly stirring. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf before mixing the sauce with the spinach.

### Creamed Spinach Recipe

For the **creamed spinach**, you will need to cook one cup of organic spinach, drain the spinach, and then chop it finely. Season the spinach with ½ a teaspoon of black pepper and ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. While heating, continuously stir it until the spinach is thoroughly combined with the **béchamel**. You may want to remove the stems from the spinach before sautéing it so that it looks more appealing on the plate.

### Hollandaise Sauce Recipe

In a **sauté pan**, preferably with a copper bottom, bring three cups of distilled water to a slow boil. In another bowl, one that is non-reactive to heat, combine the yolk of one organic white egg from a grain-fed, free-range chicken with a tablespoon of cold, distilled water. Whisk the egg yolk until foamy, but be careful not to over mix the egg or the sauce consistency will be off. Then, add in a few drops of lemon juice. This should be about ¼ of a tablespoon in total. Set the bowl over the boiling water until the eggs begin to emulsify. Do not overcook the eggs because no one likes curdles in their **hollandaise sauce**.

At this point, remove the eggs from the heat and add a few drops of butter into the eggs while whisking the mixture slowly. As the mixture begins to thicken, continue to add butter until ¼ of a cup has been added in total. Add the remaining ½ of a tablespoon of **lemon juice** to the mixture and whisk it gently. Season the sauce with a little bit of sea salt before adding it to the dish.

### Plating the Dish

Warm the **artichoke bottoms** in a sauté pan, and set them aside. Warm the slices of Pata Negra ham, chiffonade it, and set it aside. Warm the **Perigord truffle**, slice it, and set it aside. Make sure that the truffle is sliced paper thin, which is best done with a double-edged razor blade. You can also use a mandolin slicer if you prefer. To plate, you begin by placing the warm creamed spinach on a warm plate. The artichoke bottoms should be set in the center of this bed of spinach. A poached egg should then be carefully placed on the top of the artichoke bottom. Sprinkle the Pata Negra ham over the placed ingredients. Then, sprinkle the sliced Perigord truffle over the dish. Generously spoon the hollandaise sauce over the dish, and garnish it with **Beluga caviar**, **paprika**, and **Kashmiri saffron**. **Beluga caviar** is actually not something that you can acquire legally in the United States, so use white sturgeon caviar instead.

Recipe site link