Perfect Eggs Benedict
- PREP 15min
- COOK 20min
- TOTAL 35min
Our recipe for making eggs Benedict walks you through making all the components while keeping the stress low. The trick for making sure everything is hot and ready at the right time is to cook your poached eggs in advance, then keep them in an ice water bath until serving. Then, you’ll quickly dunk them back into hot water to rewarm them so they are hot and have perfect runny egg yolks.
You Will Need
- For the Eggs Benedict
8 large eggs
1 tablespoon white vinegar or rice wine vinegar
8 slices of Canadian bacon, thick-cut bacon, or shaved ham
4 English muffins, try Homemade English Muffins
Butter, for toasting the English muffins
Chopped fresh herbs like chives or parsley, optional
- For the Hollandaise Sauce
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (170g)
3 large egg yolks, cold from the fridge
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 ½ tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons white wine, optional
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper or cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
Directions
- Make Poached Eggs
1This recipe makes 8 poached eggs. You will cook them in two batches of four.
2Strain the eggs: Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Crack one egg into the strainer, allowing the watery whites to strain through. This ensures a compact, clean poached egg. Carefully transfer the egg to a small bowl. Repeat this process with three more eggs, placing each in its own bowl.
3Prepare the poaching water: Fill a wide saucepan at least 4 inches deep with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to low and bring the water to a very gentle simmer. Bubbles should form at the bottom of the pan, but only a few will actually break on the surface. Add the vinegar to the water (optional).
4Add the eggs to the water: Carefully submerge a small bowl with an egg in the water so you can gently slide it out. Quickly follow with the three remaining eggs. Set a timer for 3 minutes for runny yolks.
5Turn the eggs: After 20 to 30 seconds, use a slotted spoon to gently turn each egg over.
6Transfer to an ice water bath: When the timer goes off and the egg whites appear softly set, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
7Repeat the cooking process: Once all four eggs are in the ice bath, repeat the entire poaching process (straining, cooking, and transferring to the ice bath) for the remaining four eggs. Keep the pan of hot water on the stove, but turn off the heat.
- Make Hollandaise Sauce
1Clarify the butter: Place the butter in a small saucepan to melt, then bring the melted butter to a gentle simmer. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until a foamy layer forms on top and the butter underneath appears clear and golden.
2Skim the foam: Use a spoon to skim all the foam from the top and discard it. Set the saucepan of clarified butter aside.
3Blend the eggs: Add the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, white wine, salt, and white pepper to a blender. Pulse for about 5 seconds to combine.
4Reheat the butter: Place the saucepan of clarified butter over low heat and heat until steamy, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to let it brown.
5Emulsify the sauce: With the blender running, remove the center insert from the lid. Slowly and steadily pour the hot butter through the opening, stopping just before any milky white milk solids fall in from the bottom of the saucepan. The sauce will thicken and emulsify.
6Season and keep warm: Taste and adjust with more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. Keep the blender jar in a bowl of warm water (or transfer it to a bowl and place it inside a second bowl of warm water) to maintain the perfect temperature.
- Assemble Eggs Benedict
1Crisp the bacon and toast the muffins: While the bacon is crisping in a skillet over medium heat, cut your English muffins in half. Once the bacon is done, transfer it to a plate. Add a little butter to the same skillet and toast the cut side of each muffin until golden brown. Arrange the toasted muffins on a serving plate.
2Prepare the water to rewarm the eggs: Place the pan of hot water on the stove over medium heat. Bring the water to a gentle simmer, then immediately turn off the heat.
3Rewarm the eggs: Carefully slide the chilled poached eggs into the hot, steamy water. Let them sit for about 30 seconds to warm through. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove each egg and dab it on a paper towel to remove excess water.
4Assemble and serve: Place a slice of crispy bacon on each toasted English muffin half. Top with a warm, drained poached egg, then spoon over a generous amount of hollandaise sauce. Serve right away. Quick tip: If your hollandaise sauce is too thick, heat a tablespoon of water and stir it in a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Alternatives to the bacon: Traditional Eggs Benedict has a slice or two of Canadian Bacon, but you can swap this for shaved ham, crisped thick-cut bacon, homemade crab cakes, smoked salmon, homemade breakfast sausage, or make it vegetarian with a slice of tomato. For Eggs Florentine, use sautéed spinach instead.
- Make-ahead poached eggs: After transferring them to the ice water bath, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. I place them into an airtight container covered with clean, cold water.
- Reheating hollandaise: I do not recommend a microwave and prefer to reheat on the stove. Pour your sauce into a saucepan over low heat. Add a little bit of melted butter and a tablespoon of warm water. Whisk it as it warms up so it turns into a smooth, creamy sauce. Adding more warm water if it is too thick.
- Clarified vs. melted butter for homemade hollandaise: You can use plain melted butter in this recipe. Clarified butter is an extra fail-safe to prevent the sauce from breaking, AND it tastes richer and buttery. The sauce is still lovely when made with plain butter, though.
- The nutritional information provided are estimates.