Some dishes have stood the test of time by honoring tradition. Innovative chefs seek to redefine these classics by examining the flavors and textures that make the dish appealing and attempt to give us a purer, focused version. When successfully executed, the new dish feels like a rarefied distillation of the old. I think this is called refinement.
Eggs Benedict certainly falls prey to this category and I have yet to taste a better interpretation than the one served at WD-50. So good, in fact, that I had it twice on the same day.
Every component on Wylie Dufresne's plate is beyond reproach: Wafer-thin slices of crispy Canadian Bacon. Toasty English Muffin crumbs holding together a mind-bending cube of liquid hollandaise. But it was the egg yolk that did me in. Cooked sous vide at 70C for 17 minutes, egg yolks are transformed to the texture of soft, dense fudge that coats the mouth and leaves the tongue happily lapping over and over it like a dog with peanut butter. (OK, that was just me. That, I'm certain, is not called refinement.)
left: seasoned and whipped egg white quenelles, poached in barely simmering water.
center: seasoned egg yolks in sealed piping bag, 70C water bath.
right: piping cooked yolks.
Eggs Benedict v.1.1
70C egg yolks
brown butter hollandaise
whipped egg whites
crispy serrano ham
bacon curls
crispy ciabatta
Eggs Benedict v.1.2:
egg yolk wrapped in serrano ham "cooked" in dehydrator at 150F for 45 minutes.
brown butter hollandaise
mini English Muffin
plantago
Playing with Fire and Water 
You, my dear, are truly brilliant. Your posts are always fascinating and so much fun.
LikeLike
Nope. v1.1 is definitely the way to go.
I’m curious how the plantago paired flavor-wise with either variant of the dish.
LikeLike
Were the eggs in the v1.2 application cooked SV prior to being wrapped in ham? What does the dehydrator do to the texture of the yolk?
LikeLike
I’ve been fascinated with the whole range of options available once you are cooking the whites and the yolks separately. I’d been thinking more in terms of molding, hadn’t considered piping. Very cool.
LikeLike
Thanks, Jen, that’s very generous.
LikeLike
I added it to this dish because its nutty/buttery flavor reminded me of brown butter, but it got a little lost in the richness of the dish. I really need to play with it some more.
LikeLike
No, they were cooked in the ham wrapper, which got a little crisp in the dehydrator. The lower temp (65.5C) of the dehydrator vs. 70C of water bath left the egg yolk a bit more fluid.
LikeLike
Awesome. Just a wonderful interpretation. Love it
LikeLike