Asphalt Kitchen: Salmon Eggs Benedict: Revs 1, Timbers 0

We're back! The Asphalt Kitcheneers took a lengthy off season hiatus from grilling to pursue some more traditional, parking lot free kitchen endeavors. Including these:

black bean tacos

homemade pretzels (and really good beer!)

Christmas Pierogi

With the return of the Revs to the pitch for last Saturday's home opener, so did we return our cooking efforts to the parking lot of Gillette Stadium for a lengthy and delicious tailgate.

As a supporter of women's soccer, I feel slightly ashamed to admit I did not watch any of the Brazil v. Canada women's friendly (For those who don't follow: the Revs home opener was a double header with the international women's match preceding the men's). But I am certainly not ashamed to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the five hours of tailgating leading up to the Revs v. Timbers match.

Instead of the lot opening up at 5:30pm for a 7:30pm kickoff, tailgating started at 11am for a 4pm kickoff. So rare is this occasion, we thought it most appropriate to cook a full tailgate brunch. And because I am a nut, I decided to stretch the limits of cooking by poaching eggs on the grill.

To be fair, I did not truly poach them on the grill. My Coleman camping grill stove is equipped with both a gas grill plate and a single gas burner. I boiled a small amount of water in a pan on the burner and poached the eggs in the traditional manner. Although I did not take many pictures because I needed all my hands for the poaching, I will freely admit that my eggs got a little jellyfishy. I never have been quite able to figure out how to keep the white of the egg together while poaching.

Anyhow, for those of you who are brave, here're all the secrets to salmon eggs benedict - camping stove style.

Salmon Eggs Benedict (a la tailgate)
adapted from James Martin via BBC Good Food

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
butter, for spreading
smoked salmon (lox)
2 english muffins, halved

For the hollandaise sauce:
juice of one lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 egg yolks
1 stick (4 oz) butter, diced

Preparation
1. First make the hollandaise sauce. Bring a small pan of water to a simmer on your burner. Squeeze the lemon juice and vinegar in a small bowl (one that can rest atop the pan, like a faux double boiler). Add the egg yolks to the bowl and whisk until light and frothy. Place the bowl over the pan of simmering water and whisk until mixture thickens. Gradually add the butter, whisking constantly until thick. Season and set aside. Keep
2. Fill another pan with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then add the vinegar and lower the heat so the water is simmering gently. You want bubbles, but not a rolling boil. Break an egg into a small dish. Stir the water to create a whirlpool, then slide the egg in. Because my pan was quite small, I cooked only two eggs at a time. Cook your egg for 3-4 minutes (until it wobbles, just slightly, when you nudge it with a spoon). Remove with a slotted spoon and let it drain on a paper towel.
3. Lightly toast the muffins face down on the grill. Butter and put a couple slices of salmon on each half. Top with an egg, pour over some hollandaise, and serve.

We served our eggs with lemon ginger scones (recipe from Flour Bakery cookbook)