Marco Polo eggs benedict & banana SUPREME...a home run brunch from The Home Plate in San Fran

When Dick and I made our Anniversary Road Trip a few weeks ago, we had a near-religious experience at this little restaurant called The Home Plate. It's a breakfast/brunch/lunch place that just so happened to be next to our hotel. There was also an IHOP across the street, which is where we were headed when we looked through the window and saw people thoroughly enjoying their food. As we stopped for just a second, this guy who was sitting on the bench waiting to get in - didn't catch his name, but he's a self-proclaimed "San Francisco brunch expert" - told us we should definitely eat there. Then we told him we were out-of-towners and he said we HAD to eat there. So we did. THANK YOU, NOSY BENCH GUY! We loved it! We loved it so much that I posted a picture of it a couple of posts ago. Rich had the Marco Polo, which was delicious eggs benedict with avocado, and that is what I attempted to duplicate this morning. The original was to die for, and a little hard to live up to, but mine turned out pretty dang good, too. It was the first time I've ever poached eggs, or made hollandaise sauce - exciting stuff, I know. I also made the delicious drink we had that morning: banana supreme. The name speaks for itself. I never knew that avocado and eggs would go together so beautifully, but they do. Breakfast will never be the same after this HOME RUN!

Marco Polo

Hollandaise Sauce

from Tyler Florence on the Food Network

Ingredients

2 egg yolks

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted

pinch cayenne

pinch salt

Directions

Vigorously whisk egg yolks & lemon juice together in glass or stainless steel bowl until thickened & double in volume. Place bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water - water should NOT touch bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly - don't let eggs get too hot or they'll scramble. Slowly drizzle in melting butter & continue to whisk until sauce thickens & doubles in volume. Remove from heat & whisk in salt & cayenne. Cover & place in a warm spot until ready to use.

Marco Polo eggs benedict

from the Home Plate restaurant

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

2 large eggs, poached

1/2 avocado, sliced

1/2 tomato, sliced

4 thin slices turkey

hollandaise sauce (recipe above)

1 english muffin, toasted

Directions

1. place 1/2 english muffin on a plate, face up.

2. Layer turkey, avocado, & tomato on muffin.

3. place poached egg on top & drizzle w/ 1-2 Tbsp. hollandaise sauce.

Banana Supreme

from the Home Plate restaurant

Ingredients

1 banana

2 c. orange juice

2 tsp. honey

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a blender.

Chill in refrigerator before serving.

> completos & potato salad <

Hopefully by now whoever is following this blog knows how much I absolutely love food, and I consider myself a very lucky girl that my Man loves it, too. Our loves are quite different, though. I'm pretty sure he doesn't think as much about what he puts into his mouth as much as I do - he'll swallow just about anything, I swear. Except for the cookie dough. Needless to say, when he recommends that I eat something, I ALWAYS ask questions. I won't give you all the details, but one time I came home from work and he had prepared "pork and beans casserole" ... so yeah, I'm gonna be skeptical when he says that something is worth eating. One thing I do have to give him props for, though, are "completos." He went to Chile on his mission, and they were one of his favorite things to eat there - he raves about them! They are basically a glorified hot dog, but there are a few requirements: 1) you MUST put avocado on it - not necessarily guacamole, just avocado 2) they can't be on Wonder Bread buns! You have to go with the good bakery buns, and toast them in the oven 3) You need a good weiner! We usually use brats of some kind. I caved and ate a beef brat tonight, and I can't lie, I loved it! Anyway, you can bring a little bit of Chile to your kitchen by making completos, just like we do.

I decided to make potato salad with our Chilean barbeque tonight. My Grandma Shepherd (we call her Shirl, cuz she's pretty much the hippest grandmother in the world) has to make her potato salad at every family get together of the summer because everyone loves it so much. But to tell you the truth, I think my mom makes an even better version! And it is something that no one in my family is willing to share with outsiders ... leftovers are literally fought over! I finally dared to try making it for the first time last summer, and it got good reviews so I'm keeping at it. Someone in my ward actually called me for the recipe on the 4th of July, so I've got to be doing something right ... right?!

Completos

Ingredients

6 bratwursts (whatever flavor you want)

6 bakery hot dog rolls

1 Tbsp olive oil

~3 avocados, peeled & diced

1tsp. lemon juice

pinch of salt

1 tomato, diced

Directions

1. Mix avocado, lemon juice, salt & mash together to desired consistency

2. Boil or grill bratwursts

3. Cut open hot dog rolls and lay face up on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil & put under broiler until warm and just slightly crisp.

4. Put bratwurst on a roll and top with avocado & tomato.

5. Add any other condiments you'd like!

Potato Salad

Ingredients

5 medium red potatoes, cut into ~1/2 in. cubes

1/2 - 3/4 c. mayonaise

1-2 Tbsp mustard

1 Tbsp Ranch dressing

4-5 hard boiled eggs, cubed

1/3 dill pickles, diced

2-3 green onions (scallions)

garlic powder

onion salt

Directions

1. Boil potatoes in medium pot until soft. Drain & run under cold water. Put in bowl you'll be mixing in & place in the fridge to continue cooling.

2. After potatoes are cooled, add mayonaise, Ranch, mustard, pickles & onions and mix.

3. Season with garlic powder and onion salt to taste.

4. Mix in eggs.

5. Store in fridge until ready to serve.