Eggs Benedict with Pumpkin Hollandaise... There are no words

I am that girl. I LOVE pumpkin everything. But I mean real pumpkin... Like the kind you carve. Not just the cinnamony nutmeg flavor we associate with a PSL or pumpkin pie. I don't want to discriminate so I will broaden this to say I love pumpkin, squash and gourds in general. They can be sweet or savory and serve as awesome bases for soups and sauces...which is how I discovered this treat for today's follow-on blog to why brunch is king.

I adore eggs Benedict. It's the first thing I order if I go out for breakfast somewhere but it is also the dish I am most often disappointed by. My husband and I have been on a mission to stop eating out and instead spend that time recreating things in our kitchen. I've said before he's an amazing cook, and he is... But I've been stepping up my game and I'm VERY proud of this dish. 

The hollandaise sauce is what makes a Benedict for me. It can be done really badly and kill the whole dish. Of course, it's not the easiest sauce to make and can split in a second if anything is off. Pumpkin doesn't split! 

We decided to explore pumpkin hollandaise after making a twice baked pumpkin dish and realizing we had a lot of extra butternut squash purée left over. The purree was so smooth, sweet and creamy and just begged to be used in a other dish. After sprinkling paprika on our original dish and taste-testing we knew just what to do! And so, this fall-inspired dish was born.

Dr. P's Pumpkin Hollandaise for Eggs Bennie ( or anything else you want to smother in hollandaise...which for me is everything!)

For the hollandaise you will need:

1. Squash purée ( we baked a butternut the night before, scooped out the insides and puréed ( and puréed and puréed and then when we thought it couldn't get smoother we puréed it further) with some unsweetened almond milk. Depending on your dietary needs you could do the same, or use regular cow's milk or cream. For this recipe you will want a more liquidy purée versus a thick, soup-like consistency.)
2. Paprika, salt and pepper to taste 
3. Lemon or lime juice to taste ( I used the juice from one lemon, but I love a lemony hollandaise)
4. Butter if you want to use it

What to do:

1. Warm purée, add seasonings, lemon/lime juice and butter if you desire! So simple :)
2. Drizzle over poached eggs and whatever other delicious accouterments you choose!

Enjoy, savor, and delight in how deliciously guilty this dish looks, but revel in knowing it is nowhere near as guilty as its buttery, eggy traditional cousin!

Cheers

Dr. P