better late than never

Okay, you've seen this dish before. Still beautiful.

This was the well-planned Valentine's brunch that I made for Kaytie. Never mind that brunch was served at 2 pm. It looked good, and, thanks to Kaytie's hollandaise, it was delicious.

This is a take-off on the Black-Eyed Benedict. Of course, I thought I could make it better. I think I did. (How could the addition of cornbread not improve something?)

Southern Style Eggs Benedict

Cornbread Cakes

(makes 7 3-inch cakes)

3 slices turkey bacon

1 Tbs olive oil

1/4 red onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 green onions, sliced thin

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp creole seasoning

1 cup black-eyed peas, cooked and drained

1 pkg cornbread mix, prepared according to package directions

3 eggs

salt & pepper

Cook the turkey bacon in the olive oil until crispy. (If you're using real bacon, omit the olive oil.) Set the bacon aside to drain on paper towels.

In the leftover oil, saute the peppers, onions, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Season the veggies with salt and pepper as they cook. Set them aside to cool.

Crumble the prepared cornbread into a food processor, and add the eggs. Puree until smooth. (You could probably also do this in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon - just crumble and stir well.)

Combine the cornbread mixture, veggies, crumbled bacon, black-eyed peas, and spices in a mixing bowl. Stir well.

Shape the cakes on a lightly greased baking sheet. I used an egg ring that I got from the Everyday Gourmet to make perfectly round cakes about 3 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch tall. Put the cakes in the fridge for about half an hour to make them a little firmer.

Preheat the oven to 300.

Fry the cakes in olive oil in a saute pan until browned on both sides. Return the cakes to the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Top each cake with a poached egg (see here for methods) and chipotle hollandaise.