The Flavor of the Forest Comes to Breakfast
Eggs Benedict with Venison Tenderloin, Pepper-Maple Bacon, and Arugula
Words by Kayla & Justin Butts Photos by Rachel Benavides
No matter who brings your game to the table, serve them a breakfast worthy of the hunt. This “Eggs Venedict” celebrates the venison while honoring the work of the hunter.
The key to this recipe is the layering of complementary flavors. The base of the dish is a homemade English muffin that gives a hearty, tasty platform to stack flavors upon flavor. Next comes the fresh bacon from a local farm: bacon that is not cured in any way, no nitrates, no additives. Fry the bacon with a generous amount of sea salt and crushed red pepper, then finish it with a touch of maple syrup. Next comes venison tenderloin that’s cooked in the bacon drippings. The robust flavor of the lean venison pairs perfectly with the salty-sweet bacon, and the peppery drippings add even more flavor.
Poaching an egg is an old world art, not easily mastered on the first try. Heat the water to simmering and add a splash of vinegar to help the eggs achieve a nice round shape. If poaching in water sounds like a feat, use an egg poacher for quick and uniform poached eggs—don’t worry, we won’t tell!
The trick to a good hollandaise is to heat the sauce to the lowest temperature that will cook the egg yolks. If the hollandaise sauce “breaks,” it becomes a chunky mess of semi-scrambled eggs rather than a golden, silky-smooth cream. To prevent breaking, heat the eggs and add the butter very slowly. Make sure to cook the egg yolks in a ceramic bowl, which conducts heat very slowly, over a pot of simmering water. Then slowly whisk in the cooled melted butter for a creamy hollandaise.
The fresh tanginess of the arugula brings all the flavors together. Find freshly–picked arugula this time of year at most of your farms or farmers’ markets.
Eggs Benedict
Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Inactive prep time: 2 hours, plus 8 hours
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
6 English muffins, recipe follows
6 poached eggs, recipe follows
hollandaise sauce, recipe follows
1 lb. uncured, thick-cut pastured bacon, cut in half
1 T. maple syrup
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
3 c. milk
venison tenderloin, cut into 1/2” medallions
3 c. arugula
1 bunch chives
Poached Eggs Ingredients:
6 pastured eggs
white vinegar
1/2 t. salt
Poached Eggs Directions:
Place 4 custard cups, or an egg poacher in a deep sauté pan. Add water so that it covers the cups by 1/4”, followed by a splash of vinegar and salt. Heat the water until it just begins to boil. Crack eggs, one by one, into a small bowl, and add them to the custard cups one at a time. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the white of the egg is mostly set, but the yolk remains runny. Remove finished eggs with a slotted spoon and repeat with additional eggs.
Hollandaise Ingredients:
4 egg yolks of pastured eggs
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. cayenne
1/2 c. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. water (optional)
Hollandaise directions:
Add about an inch of water to a sauce pan and heat on low until simmering. Place a ceramic bowl over simmering water. Whisk yolks, salt, and cayenne together in the ceramic bowl and cook over low heat for one minute. Slowly add melted butter, whisking continuously, until a smooth sauce is formed. Add lemon juice and cook another 1-2 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add water if sauce is too thick.
English Muffins Ingredients:
2 1/3 c. bread flour
1 T. sugar
1 T. instant yeast
3/4 salt
1 1/2 T. butter, room temperature
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 c. milk, at room temperature
corn meal or semolina, for dusting
English Muffins Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter, egg, and milk, and mix well until a soft dough is formed. Knead for 5-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and shiny. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let dough rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
Gently punch dough down and divide into 6 rounds. Flatten your rounds until they are disks about 3” in diameter. Let your muffins rest for 20 minutes on your cast-iron griddle or frying pan that has been sprinkled with corn meal or semolina flour. Cook muffins over low heat until their exterior is golden and their interior is cooked through (registers about 200°F on an instant read thermometer).
Eggs Benedict Directions:
Submerge venison in milk and refrigerate overnight.
In a large sauté pan, add bacon strips that have been seasoned liberally with salt and pepper. Cook until crisp, about 5-7 minutes per side. Drizzle bacon with maple syrup while bacon is still hot. Reserve on a plate lined with paper towels.
Remove venison from milk, rinse with cool water, and pat dry with paper towels. Heat bacon drippings over medium heat. Pound venison with a meat tenderizer until 1/4” thick. Season venison medallions liberally with salt and pepper. Add venison to pan and cook to medium rare, about 5 minutes on each side.
Cut English muffins in half and apply butter to inside of each half. Broil on low for 2-3 minutes, until golden.
To assemble eggs Benedict:
Place 1/2 cup arugula on an English muffin half. Add venison filet, two slices of bacon, poached egg, and top with two tablespoons hollandaise sauce. Finish with cayenne and chopped chives. Repeat with remaining ingredients and serve immediately.
