USA · Breakfast and Brunch · Quick
Eggs Benedict
The crown jewel of American brunch — perfectly poached eggs on toasted English muffins with Canadian bacon, blanketed in a velvety, lemony hollandaise sauce. Elegant yet achievable at home.
30 min 520 kcal 2 serves Medium⚡Quick🇺🇸USA★★★★★4.6· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 4 large eggs, very fresh
- 2 English muffins, split and toasted
- 4 slices Canadian bacon or thick ham
- 2 tbspwhite wine vinegar
- 3 egg yolks
- 180 gunsalted butter, clarified
- 1.5 tbspfresh lemon juice
- 1 tbspcold water
- ½ tspsalt
- ¼ tspcayenne pepper
- 1 tbspfresh chives
- ½ tsppaprika
Method
- Make hollandaise: clarify butter by melting it slowly and skimming off the white foam. In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water (not touching), whisk egg yolks with cold water and 1 tsp lemon juice until the mixture is pale, thick, and has doubled in volume — about 3–4 minutes.
- Remove bowl from heat. Very slowly drizzle in the warm clarified butter while whisking constantly — start with just drops, then a thin stream. The sauce will emulsify into a thick, creamy consistency. Season with remaining lemon juice, salt and cayenne. Keep warm by setting the bowl back over the warm (not hot) water.
- Bring a wide, deep sauté pan of water to a gentle simmer. Add white wine vinegar. Crack each egg into a small cup. Stir the water to create a gentle swirl, then slide each egg in from the cup. Poach for exactly 3 minutes for a runny yolk. Remove with a slotted spoon and rest briefly on a paper towel.
- While eggs poach, warm Canadian bacon slices in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes per side until lightly browned.
- Toast English muffins until golden. Place two halves on each plate. Top each with a slice of Canadian bacon.
- Place a poached egg on each muffin half. Spoon hollandaise generously over each egg — be lavish. Garnish with chives, a dusting of paprika and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately.
FAQ
Three keys to a perfect poach. First: eggs must be very fresh — the fresher the egg, the tighter the white around the yolk and the less it 'feathers' in the water. Second: add white wine vinegar to the water (1 tbsp per liter) — acid coagulates the white faster. Third: create a swirl in the water with a spoon and drop the egg into the center — it wraps around itself. Timing: 3 minutes for runny yolk, 4 minutes for jammy.
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Comments (1)
I crack the eggs into a separate bowl first for this eggs benedict — it only takes a second and saves you from fishing out shell fragments or discovering a bad egg after it's already mixed in.