Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Hollandaise Sauce
- 3 egg yolks, room temperature
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 15 ml water
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted and warm
- 2 g salt
- 1 g cayenne pepper
Poached Eggs & Base
- 1500 ml water
- 15 ml white vinegar
- 4 eggs, cold, very fresh
- 4 canadian bacon
- 2 english muffins, split in half
- 2 g chives, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 835 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbohydrates
- 31 g
- Fat
- 65 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 1203 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 35 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 21 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 790 mg
- Potassium
- 620 mg
- Calcium
- 139 mg
- Iron
- 4.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 39 mg
- Phosphorus
- 512 mg
- Zinc
- 3.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 665 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 3.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 5 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.7 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.61 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.86 mg
- Niacin
- 6.1 mg
- Folate
- 134 mcg
- Water
- 174 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Fill a small saucepan with 3 centimeters of water and bring to a gentle simmer at 90°C/195°F.
Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, and 15ml of water in a heatproof bowl. Whisk vigorously until the mixture lightens in color and doubles in volume.
Place the heatproof bowl over the small saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk constantly until the yolks thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove the bowl from the heat. Slowly stream in the warm melted butter a few drops at a time while whisking continuously, fully incorporating the butter before adding more until a smooth, thick emulsion forms.
Season the hollandaise with salt and cayenne pepper, stirring briefly to combine. Set the bowl in a warm spot, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
Fill a medium saucepan with 1500ml of water and the white vinegar. Bring to a gentle simmer at 85°C/185°F, where small bubbles occasionally break the surface.
Crack an egg into a small ramekin. Use a spoon to vigorously stir the simmering water to create a vortex, then carefully slip the egg into the center of the whirlpool.
Poach the egg for exactly 3 minutes to achieve firm whites and a runny yolk. Carefully lift the egg out using a slotted spoon and transfer it to a paper towel to drain excess water. Repeat for the remaining eggs.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the Canadian bacon slices for 1 minute on each side until heated through and lightly browned on the edges.
Toast the English muffin halves in a toaster until golden brown and crisp.
Place two toasted English muffin halves on each plate. Top each half with a slice of warm Canadian bacon, followed by a drained poached egg.
Spoon the warm hollandaise sauce generously over each poached egg, letting it cascade down the sides. Sprinkle with finely chopped chives and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Fresh eggs are critical for poaching. As an egg ages, its albumen degrades and thins out, which leads to those wispy tails in the poaching water.
- If preparing for a larger group, poach the eggs ahead of time. Shock them in an ice bath immediately after 3 minutes of cooking, store them in the fridge, and drop them into hot water for 60 seconds to reheat right before serving.
- Ensure your melted butter is warm, not hot. If the butter exceeds 60 Celsius, it will cook the egg yolks on contact, scrambling your hollandaise.
- Using a fine mesh strainer to drain the watery part of the egg white before dropping it into the ramekin will yield a perfectly tight, professional-looking poached egg.
Storage
Reheating: Not recommended. Must be eaten fresh.
Troubleshooting
Hollandaise sauce separates into a greasy, curdled mess
Cause: Butter was added too quickly or the heat was too high causing the egg proteins to scramble
Fix: Place a teaspoon of boiling water in a clean bowl, then vigorously whisk the broken sauce into it drop by drop to re-emulsify
Prevention: Ensure water is barely simmering and stream melted butter in drop by drop initially
Poached egg whites fan out into wispy threads
Cause: Eggs are too old, or water is boiling too violently
Fix: Trim wispy edges with a knife or kitchen shears before plating
Prevention: Use the freshest eggs possible and maintain a gentle poach, utilizing vinegar to speed coagulation
Cultural Context
Eggs Benedict is an iconic American brunch dish that traces its roots back to the late 19th century in New York City. While competing origin stories exist involving Wall Street brokers and high-society diners at Delmonico's or the Waldorf Hotel, the dish cemented the concept of weekend brunch in American culinary culture. It represents a masterful combination of textures and temperatures, marrying the crispness of toasted bread with the unctuous, rich envelopment of egg yolk and butter sauce.
