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Eggs Benedict
Serves 4 Prep 15 min Cook 15 min Total 30 min Type Meal Origin American

Eggs Benedict

Toasted English muffin halves, ham (or smoked salmon), poached egg, hollandaise sauce. The Sunday brunch icon. Looks fancy; rewards twenty minutes of focused work. The hollandaise is the only tricky bit; the rest is timing.

Serves 4 Prep 15 minutes Cook 15 minutes Units Rate

Overview

The Sunday brunch icon, and the dish people learn hollandaise for. You build the sauce first, whisking egg yolks with water and lemon over a bain-marie until they ribbon, then drizzling in warm clarified butter while you whisk steady and even until the bowl holds something glossy and thick. The hollandaise will wait for you in a warm spot while you poach the eggs - vinegar in barely-simmering water, a gentle whirlpool, three minutes for a runny yolk - and toast the muffins, and warm the ham. Then everything stacks at speed: muffin, ham, egg, hollandaise spooned generously over, a scatter of chives. You eat immediately, because every component is at its best within a minute of plating and falls off a cliff after five. Looks fancy on a tablecloth; rewards twenty focused minutes of work.

Ingredients

Hollandaise

  • 200 g unsalted butter
  • 3 egg yolks (large)
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • A pinch of salt
  • A pinch of cayenne

Poached eggs

  • 8 eggs (large, very fresh)
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

To assemble

  • 4 English muffins (split in half)
  • 8 slices good ham (or smoked salmon)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives (or parsley)

Method

Stage 1 - Clarify the butter

  1. Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat.
  2. Skim any foam from the top.
  3. Pour off the clear yellow butter (clarified butter), leaving the milky solids in the pan. Discard the solids. Keep the clarified butter warm.

Stage 2 - Hollandaise

  1. Whisk the egg yolks with the water and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl.
  2. Set the bowl over a pan of barely-simmering water (don't let it touch the water).
  3. Whisk continuously for 3-4 minutes until thick, pale and ribboning.
  4. Off the heat, drizzle in the warm clarified butter slowly while whisking, until the sauce is glossy and thick.
  5. Season with salt and cayenne.
  6. Cover loosely with a tea towel; sit in a warm spot.

Stage 3 - Poach the eggs

  1. Bring 5 cm of water to a bare simmer in a wide pan; add the vinegar and salt.
  2. Crack each egg into a ramekin or small cup.
  3. Stir the water gently to create a whirlpool; lower an egg in. Repeat for 2-3 eggs at a time (don't crowd).
  4. Poach 3 minutes for runny yolks. Lift out with a slotted spoon; trim ragged edges.
  5. Place on kitchen paper to drain.

Stage 4 - Assemble

  1. Toast the muffin halves; butter lightly.
  2. Lay a slice of ham on each.
  3. Top with a poached egg.
  4. Spoon hollandaise generously over.
  5. Scatter chives.

Notes

  • Fresh eggs poach best: Old eggs have loose whites that turn into wisps. The vinegar helps, but freshness is the structural fix.
  • Don't overheat the hollandaise: Direct heat scrambles it. Bain-marie + steady whisking is the technique.
  • If the hollandaise splits: Whisk a teaspoon of cold water into a fresh bowl, then slowly whisk the split sauce in. Usually rescues it.

Variations

Eggs Royale: Smoked salmon instead of ham. Eggs Florentine: Wilted spinach instead of ham.

Storage

  • Eat immediately. Hollandaise doesn't keep; poached eggs and toasted muffins go off fast.

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