Smoked salmon eggs "Benedict"

I am a little smitten with Sweet Paul right now.  I'd known of the man peripherally, having seen the pretty magazines here and there and vaguely associating the name with pretty food and things.  But recently, I was at the library and picked up a copy of Sweet Paul's book, Eat & Make.

A lighter take on Eggs Benedict; this with spinach, smoked salmon, and a poached egg

Now I know a lot more about Sweet Paul (or Paul Lowe) and I feel like I found something of a kindred spirit.  When it comes to food, his philosophy of few ingredients, simple and easy with delicious results, is exactly what appeals to me!  His love of eggs and insistence that only amaretto would do in tiramisu pretty much sealed the deal.  Seriously, the book is beautiful and the recipes are so do-able and concise because of that very food philosophy.  I know I wanted to celebrate this discovery and make something from the book.

I settled on this smoked salmon eggs Benedict to start.  It's a twist on the classic eggs Benedict. Instead of Canadian bacon, there's smoked salmon, reflecting Sweet Paul's Norwegian upbringing.  It sits on top of some sauteed spinach (which basically makes this something of an eggs Benedict-eggs Florentine hybrid) and under a poached egg.  There's something about a poached egg that just takes things to another level of special! 

I made this for myself last Monday morning to shake up my usual breakfast routine.  It was a lovely breakfast for one and would make a terrific breakfast for two or however many you like.  Some might miss the Hollandaise sauce, of course, but this lighter version is just right for me.  The egg yolk and the smoked salmon provide plenty of richness.  

I lightened the dish further by cooking the spinach in a little olive oil instead of butter.  Instead of toasted white bread, I opted for the traditional English muffin.  I seriously love myself some English muffins!  I choose to just serve the muffin top alongside to munch on.  It made for a hearty yet light breakfast - a great way to start the day and week.

A really good Monday morning breakfast for yours truly

Another quick word on the subject of Eat & Make - the book is divided into recipes and craft projects.  Sadly, I'm no crafter.  In my mind, I can imagine myself in a beautiful Martha Stewart-esque craft room rocking a glue gun but that's pure fantasy and not my reality.  So while the craft part doesn't call out to me, the whole aesthetic of the book as well as the simple but beautiful recipes really do.  (How did this turn into a quasi book review?!)