Hollandaise Sauce - à la Julie Child

Eggs Benedict!

This is an easy Hollandaise Sauce blender recipe from Julia Child. I modified it a bit for the ingredients available here in Costa Rica.

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks

1½ tablespoons Limón Criollo juice (or less, to taste.) This is the small creole lime found everywhere in Costa Rica. It resembles the Key Limes of Florida.

1 stick of very hot, melted butter

Salt and Cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:
Blend the egg yolks with the limón criollo juice. Drizzle in the hot butter with blender running. The hot butter cooks the yolks and produces a very fine, thick sauce. If you have one, I recommend you use an immersion blender in a mason jar, so that the sauce doesn't cool too fast in the large blender jar. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Very simple, quick, and absolutely Delicious!!

Thank you Julia!!!

Sauce

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Pico de Gallo Frittata

A Frittata is defined as an Italian style open-faced omelet with other ingredients, such as cheese or vegetables, mixed into the eggs rather than used as a filling. This frittata recipe puts a Tex-Mex spin on the traditional Italian Omelet.

I came across a similar recipe on Pintrest that sounded intriguing, but as always, many of the ingredients are not to be found in Costa Rica. The original recipe called for pre-packaged Pico de Gallo and frozen diced hash brown potatoes. Both of which are items unheard of in Costa Rica. Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and peppers is part of my substitution, because I can get this here, even if it's not the Ro-Tel brand.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups finely diced potatoes (about 2 medium size)
½ cup fresh Pico de Gallo (see easy recipe here)
½ can Ro-Tel diced tomato & peppers (regular flavor - 10 ounce can)
8 eggs
½ cup finely shredded Monterrey Jack cheese or other mild white cheese
½ cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup diced ham or pre-cooked bacon (optional)

Directions:
Soak the potatoes in cold water for a few minutes while preparing the Pico de Gallo. Rinse the potatoes well and pat dry on paper towels.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a 10-inch oven-safe nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until they are starting to get soft.

Beat the eggs, Pico de Gallo, Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and peppers, and cheese in a medium bowl with a fork or whisk. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and cook for 3 minutes or until the eggs are beginning to set.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of the eggs) or until the eggs are set. Cut the frittata into 6 wedges and serve.

Eggs

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Huevos Rancheros with Black Bean Puree *WP*

Ingredients:
For the salsa:
2 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium jalapeno, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 cup cilantro leaves chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Black Bean Puree:
15 1/2 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
a pinch salt
4 6" corn tortillas
1 tablespoon Smart Balance Lite Buttery Spread
8 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup shredded low-fat Mexican cheese blend
4 teaspoons nonfat sour cream, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Salsa:
In a small bowl mix together, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, garlic, juice, olive oil, hot sauce, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For the Black Bean Puree:
In a food processor, blend all ingredients together
until smooth.

To Assemble:
You will need 4 4"x2" Ramekins. Stack tortillas on a cutting board. Using the bottom of the ramekin as a guide, cut 8 circles out of the tortillas. Spread the bean puree evenly on 1 side of each tortilla round. Place a round in each ramekin, bean side up. Crack 2 eggs into each of the 4 ramekins, followed by 1/4 cup of salsa, and 1/2 tablespoon each of Mexican cheese blend. Cover with another tortilla round, bean side down. Do not jam the dishes with too much. The eggs will expand during cooking and overflow.

Brush tops of each tortilla with butter and bake on a sheet tray for 25 minutes. Top with remaining cheese during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Cheese should be melted and golden on top. To serve, top with sour cream and salsa.

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Information: Per Serving: 417 Calories; 20g Fat (43.3% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber; 438mg Cholesterol; 651mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 9 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates. 1

WP

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