Egg Benedict can signify that breakfast or brunch will be more than an ordinary one. It’s a luxurious meal worth the effort to make the hollandaise sauce that takes it above the rest. When you’ve prepared your hollandaise, keep it warm while you put the other ingredients together, including toasting your English muffins, poaching the eggs, and grilling the sliced Canadian bacon. It’s then a matter of stacking everything on top, spooning the sauce, and sprinkling some chopped herbs to give it the final flourish. The essential Eggs Benedict is easily modified to include an avocado slice or two, a slice of avocado, a spoonful of cooked greens, or even a few cooked shrimp. It can be taken to a new level with capers and smoked salmon. Whatever you decide to do, you will surely delight in your delicious breakfast.
Ingredients
- Four egg yolks
- Two tablespoons of dry white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Eight eggs
- One teaspoon of white vinegar
- Eight slices of Canadian bacon
- 4 English muffins, split and toasted
- One tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs (dill, tarragon, parsley, and basil)
- Kosher salt, freshly crushed black pepper
Directions
- Put a heatproof dish over an uncooked pot of water on medium-low heat. Mix egg yolks with wine as well as salt. Whisk until the mixture has doubled in volume and has slightly thickened approximately 2 minutes. Slowly pour the melting butter while whisking continuously until the combination is an incredibly creamy and thick sauce, about 5 minutes. Mix in cayenne and lemon juice and sprinkle hollandaise with salt. Keep the sauce warm, making sure to whisk it now and then.
- A medium-sized saucepan is filled about halfway with water. Add vinegar and bring it to a simmer. Crack an egg in a bowl of a small size. Stir the boiling water to mix, then pour the egg into the center of the swirling water. Repeat the process with three more eggs. Cook eggs until fully set, but the yolks are soft after about 4 minutes. Utilize a spoon with a slotted handle to take eggs out of the pot and drain them on an unlined plate lined with paper towels. Repeat poaching with the remaining eggs.
- While eggs are poaching while eggs cook, make Canadian bacon on a pan on medium-high heat until lightly brown and crisp on all sides, approximately 5 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through cooking.
- Then, top each toasty English muffin with slices of Canadian bacon. Then, top with poached eggs. Serve hollandaise sauce over the eggs. Sprinkle chopped herbs over the top, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.
