Sales Reach the $4,000 Mark and a Suggestion for Brunch

I am now at the end of my second month, since I started listing material. My sales are around $4,000 now, which averages out at $2,000 a month. It is not enough to sustain the business, or to live on, but after 2 months, I'm about 1/4 of the way to where I need to be to draw a modest salary have another 16 months to get there. So, I'm optimistic that I am actually going to be able to pull this off.

This is a short post today, because yesterday I spent the whole day after I got home, writing a long post on my Canadian  Philately blog about the 1898 Map Stamp:

http://canadianphilately.blogspot.ca/

Today, I'm focusing on getting the map stamps listed.

I do have a quick brunch idea for eggs Benedict. Mine uses packaged Hollandaise sauce, as I find it to be just as good as fresh and making it from scratch requires a double boiler and a lot of patience for it to turn out. You will need (to serve 2):

2 fresh croissants
4 eggs (assuming that each person is having two eggs)
1 tablespoon of capers
4 slices of prosciutto ham
8 slices of tomato or for added punch, green tomato or yellow tomato

Put a large pot of water to boil for the eggs. Add a tablespoon or so of vinegar to the water. This is important, otherwise your eggs will not stay together when you crack them in the water.

Turn the oven on to 200F. Slice the croissants and place them on a cookie sheet in the oven to warm them and crisp them a bit. You don't want to leave them in too long though, or they will dry out.

Fry the prosciutto quickly in a small skillet to crisp it and bring out the saltiness, as well as render away some of the excess fat. You don't want to use any oil - the heat of the pan will be sufficient. Set it aside when done.

Make the Hollandaise sauce following the package directions and just keep it simmering while you make the rest of the dish. If it gets a bit gloppy, just add a bit more water to keep it the right consistency.

When the water is boiling crack the eggs of the person who wants soft eggs directly into the water. Wait 2-3 min before cracking the eggs of the person wanting medium eggs and then if you have someone wanting hard poached eggs, wait another 2-3 mins before cracking their eggs into the water. You have to watch the eggs quite closely because they will turn in a second after they are done. They can be soft poached, you can turn your back and then discover that they are not medium. So my suggestion is that after you fry the prosciutto, that you take the croissants out of the oven and assemble the plate so that all have to do when the eggs are ready is remove them from the water and place them on top of the croissant halves and top with Hollandaise.  To assemble the halves, take a croissant half, place a slice of prosciutto on top and then two slices of tomato.

While the eggs are cooking, you will see a scum form on the surface from the egg white that has come away from the eggs. I use a slotted flat spoon with fine holes to gently remove this, so that I can see the eggs themselves and check for doneness. Soft boiled eggs will take about 5 min in the water. Medium will be 7-8 and hard 9-11. By staggering the addition of the eggs at the beginning you can ensure that they will all be ready at more or less the same time. When the eggs are ready gently spoon them out using a slotted spoon to let the water drain off and place them atop the croissant halves. Top with a small ladelful of the Hollandaise and some of the capers and serve.