DIY Eggs Benedict from Sound Excursions and Chef Matt

I was on Facebook when I saw an ad for a Brunch Box by this Seattle-based company called Sound Excursions featuring Eggs Benedict with a side of potatoes, an avocado, and garnishes. I've always been curious as to how that dish was made, particularly the Hollandaise sauce. Outside of omelettes, this is my favorite breakfast food to order.

For under $40, the brunch kit comes with ingredients and food items to serve 2, as well as acccess to a live virtual cooking lesson with Chef Matt Lewis from Where Ya At Matt, a food truck specializing in Cajun and Creole food. Also, this brunch box includes delivery to the greater Seattle area! 

Excited to broaden my culinary skills, I placed an order for this to happen. As promised, the box was delivered the day before the cooking lesson which live-streamed at noon today. 

It was funny, interactive, and interesting. I learned how to acidulate--add vinegar to water so as to prevent browning--and emulsify--combine a lipid with a liquid to blend together smoothly, changing their composition.

• Hollandaise sauce comprises egg yolks, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and lots of butter with a bit of lemon juice, all of which I emulsified in a steel bowl over some heat from a pot of boiling water while using the whisk attachment on my immersion blender. 
• Poaching eggs requires boiling some water with a little bit of vinegar, lowering the heat, then stirring the water in one direction until a swirling "vortex" is formed. From there, one can drop a whole uncooked egg each into the water to let sit for 3 minutes before removing with a slotted spoon.  (Don't salt the water.)

Anyway, without giving all the lesson away, it was a lot of multi-step prep and cook work but was fun at the same time, so I felt like a kitchen pro instead of a kitchen hobbyist. Also, the Eggs Benedict themselves turned out super delicious!! 

I saved the egg whites from the Hollandaise sauce to make an omelette later, and I have more eggs, ham, potatoes, avocado, chives, an English breakfast muffin, and leftover sauce to make another serving of EB ... tomorrow. I also have extra Cajun seasoning for whatever I want to use it on! Score, score, score.

I plan to check out more hands-on events from Sound Excursions in the future and hope to get some food from Where Ya At Matt sometime.