From the chef

I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Chef Rob-I-am!

Remember how it felt to be a kid during Christmas? No matter how old you are, there are those fond childhood memories that have special glow about them. For me one of those memories was Christmas brunch with the family. As we sat around the table, I can still remember the smells of great food cooking on the stove and baking in the oven.

After having my mom’s homemade brunch, another fond memory would be reading my favourite books Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas and the infamous Green Eggs & Ham.

Now many years later, I have brought those memories to the table. I call it a “Chef Rob and Dr. Seuss Collaboration.” I am putting a twist on your classic Eggs Benedict that the Grinch would never understand… So this Christmas you don’t have to be Sam- I-am to enjoy Green Eggs and Ham.

Green Eggs and Ham
To assemble you will need: mini potato pancakes (base), shaved ham or prosciutto, a poached egg, green hollandaise.

Mini potato pancakes (for the base)

4 lg potatoes
2 Tbsp flour
1 sm onion
salt & pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten

• Finely grate potatoes with onion into a large bowl, soak in water for 2 minutes, drain and squeeze out any excess liquid.

• Mix in egg, salt, pepper, and flour.

• Heat 3 Tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Drop four mounds (about 1/8 C) into fry pan, and flatten to make ¼ inchthick mini pancakes. Fry, flip once, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel to drain, season with a pinch of salt when hot, and keep warm in oven until ready to serve. (200F) Repeat; use all of potato mixture.

Green Hollandaise
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2-3 Tbsp basil pesto

• In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice until fluffy. Place the bowl over a pot with simmering water. Whisk rapidly, adding melted butter until it has doubled in size. Remove the bowl from the heat, add pesto and set aside.

• Assemble in the following order from bottom to the top: Mini potato pancakes, shaved ham or prosciutto, a poached egg, green hollandaise.

How to poach an egg
Use fresh eggs! They will be easier to poach (they hold together better) than older eggs.

1 tsp vinegar , water
Equipment needed: Shallow saucepan with cover and a slotted spoon

• Bring water in a saucepan to almost boiling (slow simmer). If it boils, lower heat until it is no longer boiling, add 1 tsp of vinegar to the water. The vinegar will help the egg whites to congeal.

• One by one, crack an egg near the surface of the hot water and gently drop the egg into the water.

• Let sit for 4 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked, lift eggs out of pan with a slotted spoon.