A Gentlemen Prefer Blondes-themed Eggs Benedict Recipe from Donna Dooher of Mildred’s Temple Kitchen

In honour of the musical comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Donna Dooher of Toronto restaurant Mildred’s Temple Kitchen is offering up the recipe to her “dolled up” Eggs Benedict (also known as “Veda’s Choice” — a reference to another film, Mildred Pierce, which serves as an inspiration for the restaurant as a whole).

Check out the full recipe below, complete with an introduction from Donna herself! And watch Gentlemen Prefer Blondes this month On Demand. 

In the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, I was struck by the wonderful costumes worn by Marylin Monroe and Jane Russell. After the opening number a couple of gals from Little Rock, working in show biz, step out in high fashion attire. Tailored suits and jackets, blouses with high starched collars, swishy dinner gowns and a detail to accessories (like the fob broach Jane Russell wears on her long cut jacket when she boards the cruise ship), and hats to die for. It wouldn’t surprise me if the famous Irish hat designer Philip Treacy took his inspiration from some of the hats worn by the girls and Mrs. Beecham. The attention to costuming in the film provided the inspiration for my dish, Veda’s Choice.

The most popular dish on our brunch menu, Veda’s Choice is described in our Out To Brunch cookbook as a dolled up version of Egg Benedict. The pedestrian ‘egg benny’ is usually served on a toasted crumpet with spinach and hollandaise. Our Veda is two perfectly poached eggs perched delicately on the finest Atlantic smoked salmon, smothered in a velvety Bearnaise sauce and served on a butter croissant.

Now that’s a dish!!

Veda’s Choice

Ingredients

• 6 croissants, sliced in half
• 6 cups of water
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 12 eggs
• 6 slices smoked salmon
• Béarnaise sauce (see recipe below)

Method

1. Warm croissants in a 200°F oven for 5 minutes.
2. Bring the water and vinegar to a gentle simmer in a stainless-steel pot.
3. Crack 2 eggs into a small bowl keeping the yolks whole.
4. Stir the water using a spoon in a circular motion.
5. Slip the eggs gently into the simmering water.
6. Cook for 1 ½ minutes or just until the whites hold their shape.
7. Remove the eggs from the water using a slotted spoon.
8. Place on a folded tea towel to absorb the excess water.
9. Repeat the process with the rest of the eggs.
10. Place the bottom half of the croissant on a plate and lay a piece of smoked salmon on top.
11. Nestle 2 poached eggs on top of the salmon.
12. Spoon over a generous amount of Béarnaise sauce.
13. Cover with the croissant tops and serve immediately.

Serves 6

Bearnaise Sauce

Ingredients

• ½ cup white wine
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp shallots, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp lemon juice

Method

1. Place the white wine in a stainless-steel pot.
2. Boil for 5 minutes until the wine is reduced by half, cool slightly.
3. Bring the unsalted butter to a boil.
4. Skim the foam from the top as it rises.
5. Place the egg yolks into a bowl and whisk in the reduced wine.
6. Drizzle the hot butter into the egg yolks while whisking constantly.
7. Bring a pot of water to a boil and remove from the heat.
8. Place the bowl with the egg/butter mixture over the pot.
9. Whisk until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 1 ½ minutes.
10. Stir in the shallots, tarragon, salt and lemon juice.
11. Fold in the reserved tarragon leaves.

Makes 1 ½ cups

Ordering from Mildred’s Temple Kitchen

Mildred’s Temple Kitchen is offering takeout and delivery of hot food from their brunch menu, as well as a full pantry of items you can curate for your own “cooking adventures” (pancake dry mix, blueberry compote, apple butter, frozen ready-to-bake biscuits and scones, smoked salmon, ready-to-bake cookies to name a few). They offer speciality kits for celebrations and holidays, such as cocktail and bubbles kits for Valentine’s and Mother’s Day.

About Donna Dooher

Donna’s been skipping the light fandango through the Toronto restaurant scene since she and her partner, Kevin Gallagher, opened the beloved Mildred Pierce Restaurant in the city’s west end warehouse district. Always up for a great kitchen party Donna went on to create the Cookworks Cooking Studio, which parlayed into a popular Food Network show called The Cookworks with Donna Dooher, watched by foodie fans around the world discovering their love of food in their own kitchens. Donna introduced the phenomena of brunch to the sleepy town of TO when Sunday’s were just a day of ‘rest’ and went on to publish her award-winning cookbook Out To Brunch. She joined forces with the country’s top designers and publishers to bring Wish magazine to Canadian readers and the bestseller Wish | Market to Table cookbook.

Donna’s latest venture, Mildred’s Temple Kitchen in the heart of Toronto’s Liberty Village, reflects her commitment for the return to the table and her passion for locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, simply and sumptuously prepared. Donna is actively involved in Canada’s hospitality community and a self-proclaimed ‘fork hugger’, dedicated to supporting Ontario farmers and local agriculture.

Donna’s served as the National Chair of Taste Canada, the Chair of The Board of Directors and CEO of Restaurants Canada, Co-chair of the YES CHEF! Fundraising Campaign at George Brown College and has worked extensively with Brand Canada to promote Canadian hospitality around the globe.

Donna’s approach to cooking (and life in general) – cook with love and reckless abandon!

Find the next play times for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) on Hollywood Suite.