Popover Café Eggs Benedict

Makes 8-10

See the popover pancake recipe to make batter.

8 free range eggs

8-16 rashers Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks, preferably free-range and organic 4oz (125g) butter cut into dice

1 dessertspoon of cold water

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Muffin tins

Make the batter, rest and cook the popovers (see popover recipe).

Meanwhile, make the hollandaise sauce: Put the egg yolks in a heavy stainless saucepan on a low heat, or in a bowl over hot water. Add water and whisk thoroughly. Add the butter bit by bit, whisking all the time. As soon as one piece melts, add the next piece. The mixture will gradually thicken, but if it shows signs of becoming too thick or slightly scrambling, remove from the heat immediately and add a little cold water if necessary.

Do not leave the pan or stop whisking until the sauce is made. Finally add the lemon juice to taste. If the sauce is slow to thicken it may be because you are excessively cautious and the heat is too low. Increase the heat slightly and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens to coating consistency.

It is important to remember that if you are making hollandaise sauce in a saucepan directly over the heat, it should be possible to put your hand on the side of the saucepan at any stage. If the saucepan feels too hot for your hand it is also too hot for the sauce.

Another good tip if you are making hollandaise sauce for the first time is to keep a bowl of cold water close by so you can plunge the bottom of the saucepan into it if becomes too hot.

Keep the sauce warm until service either in a pyrex bowl over hot but not simmering water. I keep it at the back of the Aga.

Cook the bacon until crisp on a hot pan. Drain on kitchen paper and keep hot.

When the popovers are well risen and very crisp, bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add a little pinch of salt. Crack a couple of eggs and slip gently into the barely simmering water. If they are fresh there is no need to do anything, just cook for 3-4 minutes until the white is set but the yolk is still soft. (If the eggs are not fresh they will spread all over the saucepan, so just do something else rather than struggle with stale ingredients.) When the eggs are perfectly poached remove with a slotted spoon.

Split the popovers in half, turn the top upside down and place on top of the base so it forms a container for the poached egg and pieces of crispy bacon. Coat generously with hollandaise sauce and serve immediately.

Note: You could also put a layer of creamed spinach under the poached egg, with or without the bacon