Oyster mushroom benedict with calamansi hollandaise

Calamansi, also known as kalamansi, is a native Filipino citrus that brings a fresh zing to the hollandaise in this vegetarian breakfast.

Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  1

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Toasted sourdough

• 1 slice sourdough
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp (25 g) extra virgin olive oil
• 25 g salted butter

Oyster mushroom topping

• 100 g oyster mushrooms
• 2½ tbsp (50 g) extra virgin olive oil
• ½ eschalot, finely chopped
• ½ clove garlic, finely chopped
• ½ small red chilli, finely chopped
• 50 g baby spinach leaves or baby kale leaves
• 50 g butter
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to season

Poached eggs

• 2 free-range eggs
• 2½ tbsp (50 g) white vinegar
• 2 cups (500 ml / 500 g) water

Calamansi hollandaise

• 2 free-range egg yolks
• 2 tsp (10 g) Dijon mustard
• 40 g (about 2 tbsp) calamansi juice, plus extra to taste
• 2-2½ tsp (5 g) sea salt flakes
• freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 200 g ghee or clarified butter, melted

Instructions

1. To make the toasted sourdough, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Brush both sides of sourdough with olive oil. Toast in pan for 1 minute on each side or until lightly golden. Add butter and swirl the pan until melted. Cook bread until golden brown. Remove and set aside on a serving plate.
2. To make the oyster mushroom topping, slice mushrooms into quarters lengthways. Heat olive oil in the same large frying pan. Add eschalots, garlic and chilli. Cook, stirring for about 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms. Continue to cook for a further 2 minutes then add baby spinach. Stir mixture until spinach is just wilted. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Meanwhile, make the poached eggs. Heat the water and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. When water comes to a gentle boil, swirl the water in a clockwise motion and gently add the eggs one at a time. Cook for 2 minutes or until the desired doneness. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to remove excess water.
4. To make the calamansi hollandaise, place the egg yolks, mustard and calamansi juice in a large heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of shallow simmering water. Whisk the mixture continuously until it begins to thicken. Remove from the heat. Slowly add the ghee in a steady stream while whisking, until the mixture emulsifies and thickens. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add more calamansi juice if you prefer a stronger sour-citrus flavour.
5. To serve, spoon the mushroom mixture onto the toasted sourdough. Top with eggs and drizzle with calamansi hollandaise.

 

This recipe is from A Taste of the Philippines with Yasmin Newman. Photography by Kitti Gould.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.