Sunday, September 1, 2013

Eggs Benedict Breakfast Pizza


So I decided at some point last week (what brought this on I cannot remember) that instead of just cooking, my husband and I needed to start creating our own recipes. We do this all the time in theory, but rarely in practice - so I started searching recipe contests online to give us a direction and some incentive. 

Ironically, this breakfast pizza recipe that came to me this morning fit none of the recipe contests we are currently working on. (This is just how my brain works. No matter what structure I try to force upon it, it will find a way to revolt!)

It all started because I needed to use up a tube of Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Dough that I bought on sale a while back and had been sitting in our fridge since then because we lacked pizza sauce or cheese or toppings or whatever I needed then whenever I grabbed it.

This is why Google is both your friend and your enemy. I thought this was SUCH an original idea...and then googled it and found over 5,000 with the same original idea, of course. (I immediately clicked off the page so as not to be tempted to read ANY of them.)

We enjoyed our final product, but it is very rich. (In other words, we have a LOT left over even after three of us had it for brunch - and we're not sure yet how easily it will save). We both agreed next time we might add tomatoes. Maybe thinly sliced Roma tomatoes over the hollandaise sauce. And I followed the directions for the crust, but I think it should have cooked a little longer.

Eggs Benedict Breakfast Pizza

1 tube Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust 
Hollandaise sauce (recipe follows)
6 eggs, scrambled
6 pieces bacon, Canadian bacon, or pancetta,  cooked and crumbled (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup Mozzarella/Cheddar mix

Follow the directions for the pizza crust but add 2-3 minutes on the first round of cooking. Prepare hollandaise sauce and spread over crust when removed from oven. 

For the scrambled eggs, crack six eggs and place in bowl with 1/4 cup milk. Whisk briskly for 5 min. Put 1 tbsp of butter in a medium saucepan over med-lo heat and cook the scrambled eggs until just done (because they will cook even longer in a hot oven). 

Sprinkle eggs over hollandaise sauce and then sprinkle bacon and cheese over the eggs. Return to oven, and bake for an additional 8 minutes. 

Hollandaise Sauce: In a small to medium saucepan, heat an inch of water on medium-low. Separate four eggs. Put yolks in stainless steel bowl with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Using a whisk, stir the mixture constantly but gently until it increases in size by about half. Smooth out any bubbles that form by continuing to stir. When the water is just below simmering, place the stainless steel bowl on top of the saucepan. (Make sure it does not touch.) Continue to constantly stir the mixture while slowly drizzling in 1/2 cup of melted butter. Keep stirring until sauce reaches consistency to coat bottom of spoon. Remove from heat and add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Set in warm place until ready to be served. (If the sauce starts to take on a custard-like consistency, you can drizzle in a small amount of hot water to thin the sauce.)