Skip the restaurant and bring this classic brunch dish to your kitchen. Rich, creamy, and savory hollandaise sauce atop poached eggs on a perfectly toasted English muffin make for an irresistible flavor and texture.
INGREDIENTS
Hollandaise Sauce
- 1 stick (8 tbsp) salted butter, melted
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- Pinch of salt
- Light sprinkle of cayenne pepper
Eggs Benedict
- 2 English muffins, halved and toasted
- 4 slices Canadian bacon
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar (for poaching water)
- Cayenne pepper, to taste
- Chopped chives, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set up your stations:
- Melt the butter and keep warm.
- Fill a wide sauté pan or shallow saucepan with water, bring to a gentle boil, and add vinegar.
- Have your Canadian bacon and English muffins ready to heat/toast.
- Work in sync:
- This dish comes together best when you prepare everything at once — whisk the hollandaise, poach the eggs, toast the muffins, and heat the bacon all in parallel.
- Make the hollandaise:
- In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with lemon juice, salt, and cayenne.
- Set over a double boiler (simmering water; bowl should not touch the water).
- Whisk constantly, drizzling in the warm melted butter slowly until sauce thickens and emulsifies. Keep whisking until ready to serve.
- Poach the eggs:
- Crack each egg into a small cup, then gently pour the whole egg into the boiling water to maintain shape.
- Poach 2–3 minutes, until whites are set but yolks are still runny.
- Remove with a spider spatula or slotted spoon, draining well.
- Toast and heat:
- Toast English muffin halves until golden.
- In a skillet, heat Canadian bacon until lightly browned on both sides.
- Assemble:
- Place toasted English muffin halves on plates.
- Top each with a slice of Canadian bacon, then a poached egg.
- Spoon warm hollandaise generously over each egg.
- Lightly dust cayenne over hollandaise.
- Sprinkle chopped chives on top to taste.
- Serve immediately.
TIP: If your hollandaise thickens too much or seizes, slowly whisk in a little bit of hot water to reconstitute it back to silky perfection at the desired thickness.
Recipe and photo by Ty Pierce
