2-Minute Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise sauce is one of those things that most of us opt to have made for us due to the inconvenience of making it ourselves. However I’ve learned this great hack for making it simply, quickly and easily with delicious results. Use it on your own version of eggs benedict, on poached salmon, on steak or even on veggies.

Please note this recipe contains uncultured dairy and may not be tolerated by everyone. You can try using lactose-free whole milk instead of half and half for lower FODMAP.

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Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 medium lemon
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• pinch of salt (or to taste)

Instructions

1. Place 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a 2-cup glass measuring cup or medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until mostly melted, 30 to 45 seconds. Stir until the butter is completely melted. 
2. Place 2 large egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 medium lemon. Add the yolks, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, and 1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half to the melted butter and stir until combined.
3. Microwave in 15-second bursts, whisking between each burst, until slightly thickened but still pourable (about 185ºF), 1 to 1 1/2 minutes total.
4. Add 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard and whisk to combine. Taste and season with more lemon juice and kosher salt as needed. Serve warm.

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

Low FODMAP Cantonese-Style Chicken Congee

Congee (also called jook) is a type of rice porridge that can be found throughout Asia. Each cuisine has its own style and toppings. Some congee is very thick while other congee is more like soup. I tend to prefer Hong Kong style congee, which is neither thick nor thin, and comes with a variety of topping choices ranging from savory Chinese donuts to fish balls to preserved egg.

This long-cooking version is made with chicken thighs, ginger and lettuce. If you prefer to use chicken breast, do so. The marinade provides some of the flavoring for the porridge itself. The amount coating the chicken should be plenty, but you may include all of it if you desire. (Just make sure any marinade is thoroughly cooked before serving.) This recipe allows for one thigh per serving, which is a substantial portion. If serving as a side dish or you want something lighter, you may halve the amount of chicken used.

Please note that oyster sauce is not a low FODMAP ingredient. However the amount in the final dish per serving comes to under 1 teaspoon. According to Monash University, up to 1 tablespoon is typically tolerated.

Cantonese folks typically enjoy congee for breakfast or lunch, but it is popular any time of day. Dim sum restaurants usually offer small bowls to accompany the meal. Congee is frequently prepared for people who are sick. It is a favorite comfort food, much like chicken noodle soup in the West.

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Makes 4 servings.

Marinated Chicken Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Marinated Chicken Instructions

1. First, slice chicken into 1 ½ to 2 inch pieces, about ¼ inch thick. Remember to slice across the grain, especially if using chicken breast.
   
2. Add the water and oyster sauce to the chicken in a medium bowl. Add the cornstarch and vegetable oil and mix until everything is incorporated and the chicken is uniformly coated. For the best results, let the chicken sit for 15 to 20 minutes to marinate.

Congee Ingredients

• 1 cup jasmine rice, well rinsed
• 12 cups water
• 1 chicken broth stick or bouillon cube
• 2 slices fresh ginger
• white pepper
• 2 scallions, green parts only, sliced
• 1 lb marinated raw chicken (instructions above)
• Shredded romaine lettuce

Congee Instructions

1. Add rice, water and broth stick to the pot. Bring to a boil. Stir frequently as it heats to keep rice from sticking to the bottom. Reduce heat and simmer for ~90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water as necessary. (I typically add about 2 more cups of water.) Make your congee whatever consistency you wish. Stir occasionally to keep it from sticking. This becomes more important as it cooks down. You may also need to adjust the heat to keep at a simmer.
2. Prepare the marinated chicken according to the directions above at least 15-20 minutes before the congee is done cooking.
3. About 5 minutes before the congee is finished cooking, very thinly julienne the ginger then add it to the pot. (Don’t prepare this ahead of time as we want the flavor of freshly cut ginger.) Add raw chicken and stir well. Allow to cook for about 4-5 minutes or until chicken is done.
4. Ladle into individual bowls. Top with shredded lettuce, some green onions and a sprinkle of white pepper.

How to Boil Eggs

It should be dead simple to boil an egg and it is – to just boil it. Boiling a nice-looking egg with the yolk just the way you like it isn’t always so easy. Nature can be uncooperative and we wind up with eggs scarred and pockmarked from sticking to the shell. Sometimes we get the timing wrong and wind up with a yolk that isn’t the right consistency. Fear not! I can help. This is my tried and true technique for getting nice smooth boiled eggs with perfect yolks.

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Ingredients

• eggs
• water

Instructions

1. When boiling eggs, fresh is not your friend. Eggs that have sat longer have had more time for the inner membrane to separate from the shell. This allows the shell to come off much more easily during peeling. If you know you want to make many boiled eggs at once, it usually best to buy the eggs a week or so in advance.
2. Though it isn’t completely necessary, allowing eggs to warm up on the counter just bit can discourage cracking in the water. 5 minutes is usually enough.
3. Fill a pot with enough water to cover the eggs and bring it to a boil. Use a slotted spoon to place eggs in the boiling water. Take care as sometimes cold eggs will crack when they touch the hot water. Allowing steam to warm them a bit before submerging them can help prevent cracking.
4. Adjust the heat so that the water is at a steady medium boil.
   • For hard cooked eggs, allow them to cook for 12-13 minutes.
   • For ‘jammy’ yolk eggs, allow them to cook for 6.5 minutes.
   • For soft cooked runny-yolk eggs, allow them to cook for 5 minutes.
5. Remove the eggs promptly and plunge into cold water. This will stop the eggs from cooking so that the yolks do not discolor. Allow them to cool for 2-5 minutes.The shells should come off easily without sticking to the white. On some occasions I will get a stubborn egg that refuse to cooperate, but by and large this will give you nice, smooth boiled eggs to enjoy as they are or in a recipe.

Low FODMAP Smoked Salmon Hash

I first discovered smoked salmon hash on a trip to Boise at Goldy’s, which is a fabulous little breakfast cafe. Unsurprisingly, potatoes are the star of many menus in Idaho so you’ll find variety of potato hash dishes. I absolutely love smoked salmon and I love potatoes so it was the easy choice for my breakfast. My version is a satisfying low FODMAP meal that can also work for dinner. You can turn it into a fancier brunch dish by topping it with Easy 2-Minute Hollandaise sauce.

When selecting hot-smoked salmon for use in this dish, choose wild-caught, no color added, alder plank smoked salmon. Be sure that any seasonings are low FODMAP. If you can’t find alder plank smoked, regular hot smoked is fine. Learn more about the difference between hot-smoked salmon, lox and nova here.

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Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter, olive oil or ghee
• 8oz alder plank smoked salmon, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2-3 large Yukon gold potatoes, 1/2″ dice
• 4 eggs, poached, soft-boiled or fried
• 2 tsp capers, drained
• 2 scallions, green parts only, chopped
• 1-2 tsp fresh chives, chopped (optional)
• Hollandaise Sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat oil or fat in a large skillet.  Add diced potatoes and season well with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes or until just tender.
2. Add salmon, scallions and capers and cook for about 5 more minutes until heated through.
3. Remove from heat, divide into 2 servings and mound on plates.  Top each with 2 eggs.  Sprinkle generously with chives.

Easy 2-Minute Hollandaise Sauce

This amazing hack requires a microwave and a bit of uncultured dairy. If you don’t tolerate dairy well, use lactose-free half-and-half. Refrigerate any leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

Makes enough for 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 medium lemon
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• pinch of salt (or to taste)

Instructions

1. Place 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a 2-cup glass measuring cup or medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until mostly melted, 30 to 45 seconds. Stir until the butter is completely melted. 
2. Place 2 large egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 medium lemon. Add the yolks, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, and 1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half to the melted butter and stir until combined.
3. Microwave in 15-second bursts, whisking between each burst, until slightly thickened but still pourable (about 185ºF), 1 to 1 1/2 minutes total.
4. Add 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard and whisk to combine. Taste and season with more lemon juice and salt as needed. Serve warm.