Eggs Benedict by the Shelter

Yak, masih seputar Bali!

Kali ini adalah dinas gue yang kedua di Bali. Saat itu, keadaan mulai membaik dan gue sudah mulai keluar dari zona nyaman gue. Pagi dihari ketiga gue dinas, gue memutuskan untuk sarapan di luar. Ada tempat makan di atas Nalu Bowl, di daerah Seminyak, yang cantik dan Instagramable banget, namanya Shelter. Waktu itu pernah gue mampir ke sana, tapi belum kesempatan untuk nyoba makanannya karena saat itu gue tengah tergila-gila sama yang namanya Smoothie Bowl. Nah, mumpung gue baru gajian dan lagi pingin-pinginnya makan sesuatu yang ada rotinya, pergilah gue ke Shelter dianterin Bapak.

Masih jam sembilan pagi ketika gue sampai, tapi tempatnya sudah ramai pengunjung, baik penduduk lokal maupun tamu dari negara lain. Gue langsung menempati salah satu tempat duduk yang menghadap keluar (gimana ya jelasinnya, bayangin kursi dan meja bar tapi nggak ada tembok untuk ditatap, melainkan langsung pemandangan luar. Nah, iya begitu!) dan memilah-milah buku menu. Gue sangat menikmati waktu me-time gue saat itu. Sampai lupa kapan terakhir gue bisa merasa tenang dengan pergi sendirian ke suatu tempat. "Mbak, saya mau Eggs Benedict extra Smoked Bacon, ya," ucap gue ke salah satu staff Shelter.

Eggs Benedict ala Shelter ini dipresentasikan dengan cukup sederhana dan nggak neko-neko: dua buah english muffin yang dihias dengan danish ham dan telur rebus diatasnya, dilumuri saus hollandaise yang mengkilat dan ditaburi daun peterseli; dan tetap cantik! Di sisi piring ada dua lembar smoked bacon yang tadi gue pesan, dan ukurannya lumayan tebal dan panjang. Which is good! 

Di mana-mana Eggs Benedict itu, pada intinya, adalah roti pakai telur rebus. Tapi, yang membuat Eggs Benedict Eggs Benedict adalah saud hollandaise-nya. Saus ini terbuat dari kuning telur dan air buah lemon yang diaduk sampai agak matang diatas panci kukus. Ngaduknya harus pas, nggak boleh terlalu kencang, nggak boleh terlalu pelan. Kalau salah ngaduk, sausnya bisa pecah, atau bisa juga terlalu encer, dan nggak akan kental dan cantik seperti foto di atas dan gif di bawah. Pernah sekali gue bikin Eggs Benedict di rumah dengan bahan seadanya, dan hasilnya ciamik.

Eggs Benedict dari Shelter tidak mengecewakan, cukup mengenyangkan, dan rasa saus hollandaisenya pun nggak jelek. Pilihan tepat adalah untuk menambahkan beberapa potong smoked bacon ke dalam sajian makanan gue, karena rasa gurih dari daging babi itu membuat keseluruhan sarapan gue menjadi lebih nendang.

Shelter Cafe Bali
Jl. Drupadi No. 2B
Seminyak, Bali

Opening Hours:

MON - SUN: 8AM - 6PM

Contact:

+62 361 904 118

+62 813 3770 6471

Website

Instagram

First Attempt at Making Eggs Benedict

So, today, I made my very first Eggs Benedict, woohoo!

I have been dying to try making this American breakfast since yesterday. I don't know what came up to me, but there was this sudden urge to make this dish. I surfed the website for its' recipe and watched some how-to videos on YouTube to ease the curiosity. And, then, I stumbled upon a particular video of Gordon Ramsay, a British chef famous for his deadly remarks in Master Chef and Hell's Kitchen, making Eggs Benedict under five minutes. I became more obsessed to make the dish. 

The ingredients used to make Eggs Benedict is not that complicated, as well as the process to make it. First, you need to make the Hollandaise Sauce - a mixture of egg yolk, vinegar, salt, pepper, and melted butter - then you will have to poach your egg with a water and vinegar mixture, which when nicely poached will then be placed on top of your choice of ham, or smoked beef, and English muffin. Pretty simple, right? "Meh, if Ramsay could do it, then I can do it," I said to myself. In the end, I ended up consuming approximately two hours to make a five minute dish. 

I almost screw up my Hollandaise Sauce. My egg mixture didn't get enough heat from the pan with boiling water underneath, so it didn't thicken up. Thank God, Mom came to the rescue, resulting in a thick and creamy soft yellow sauce. The consistency of my sauce was similar to Chef Ramsay's and I was happy with it. 

As for the taste, I squeezed to much lime juice into the mixture, which ended up making the sauce dominated with a sour taste. And, on the one hand, I was supposed to use lemon instead of lime, but, because I didn't have any lemon, a lime would have to do. I also didn't have enough butter, so I just used the remaining leftover that I found in the fridge. 

When I was done making the Hollandaise Sauce, I was hoping for a slight acidic and sour mixture - with a hint of saltiness and peppery effect - but what I got was a very sour and eggy sauce. Not sure if I hit the right flavor, for I have never taste a Hollandaise Sauce before in my life. 

Pouching the eggs was my favorite thing to do when making Eggs Benedict. The thing is, we have to pouch our egg inside a water and vinegar mixture. The vinegar helps the egg white to stay intact, instead of tearing apart like they do when they are pouched with regular water. 

I did exactly like Chef Ramsay did in the video: crack the egg and put it inside a cup, stir the boiling water before you put in the egg, and pour the egg in using the cup to prevent it from running around inside the pan. The trick was very helpful. My egg stayed on the center of the pan and the egg white started to enveloped the egg yolk without tearing apart allover the place. 

I pouched two eggs, one was around 3 minutes, while the other was cooked two minutes longer. I was more satisfied with my second egg because when the egg white is nicely cooked, the egg yolk was gooey and runny. 

Since I didn't have any English muffins at home, I used a regular bread loafs instead. I shaped the loafs with the mouth of a glass, resulting in a round shape bread that looks similar to an English muffin. I toasted the bread, just so that I would get the crispiness on the edges. I also used smoked beef instead of ham because, well, it was the only layered meat available in my fridge. 

When all the ingredients are cook and prepared, it was time to decorate the plate. Simply put your toast on a plate, then top it when smoked beef, pouched egg, and Hollandaise Sauce. Add a wee bit of pepper to lighten up the party and voila! your very own Eggs Benedict. 

What do you think of my presentation? Ain't too shabby, right?

Again, making Eggs Benedict is very simple and not the slightest bit complicated. As long as you follow the recipe and instruction on how to make it, then you will not stumbled upon obstacles like I did. Remember, there is no wrong way to make Eggs Benedict, yet "If you must fail, fail spectacularly!"