With toasted, golden English muffins, poached eggs, sliced Canadian bacon and hollandaise sauce, this Eggs Benedict recipe is pure perfection! Garnish with freshly chopped dill and green onions, or simply serve with salt and pepper. Perfect for any breakfast or brunch special at home!
Classic Eggs Benedict recipe
My mother loved eggs Benedict! It’s impossible for me to see them, make them or eat them without thinking of her. When we went to Los Angeles, we had an Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon at the Ivy that was to die for! But more often than not, she enjoyed the classic version. No frills, just an English muffin, egg, bacon and lots of sauce!
So mom, this recipe is for you!
With toasted, golden English muffins, poached eggs, slices of Canadian bacon and hollandaise sauce, this Eggs Benedict recipe is pure perfection! Garnish with freshly chopped dill and green onions, or simply serve with salt and pepper. Perfect for a breakfast or brunch special at home! Toasting your muffins
One mistake I often see with bene eggs is that English muffins are not toasted enough. This is actually a crucial mistake because eggs Benedict are very moist. Think about it: it’s topped with a poached egg (hello runny yolk) and a creamy hollandaise sauce! So you want to make sure your English muffin is almost done. That way, it’s nice and crisp and holds together while you enjoy it.
Luckily, toasting your muffins in one sitting is very easy! Simply line a large baking sheet with the cut muffins and place them in the oven at 450 for about 3 minutes, or until they are lightly browned around the edges.
1. Poach your eggs
Poaching eggs may sound scary, but I promise you, you can do it! That said, like anything else, making poached eggs takes practice! So if you’ve never done this before and are planning to make this recipe for a special occasion, I suggest practicing at least once before.
All you have to do is fill a small pot with a few inches of water and simmer it on very low heat. Seriously, you don’t want a lot of bubbles! Then crack an egg into a small bowl or cup, and gently pour it into the hot water.
You can add up to 4 eggs at a time, as long as you remember which one you put in first. Cook each egg until the white is completely set, about 3 to 4 minutes, depending on the size of your eggs. Then use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs. Repeat with the remaining eggs! And keep an eye out for bubbles, you may need to reduce the heat to keep the water at a simple simmer.
Set the eggs aside on a plate. They should dry out a bit before serving, but you can always dab the excess water off with a paper towel!
2. Fry your Canadian bacon
This is definitely the easiest part of this recipe! Simply place a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s nice and hot, reduce the heat to medium, add the bacon and cook until it’s browned on both sides, about 6 minutes total. This time will vary depending on the brand you use!
3. How to prepare hollandaise sauce
I use the blender method to make my hollandaise sauce and it gets super thick and creamy every time! But there are a few things you need to know to make this work:
Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. I like to leave them on the counter for at least an hour before breaking them and separating the yolks from the egg whites.
Heat your butter until it’s melted, but not browned! You don’t even have to let it simmer, so keep an eye out and remove the hot melted butter as soon as the sticks are completely liquefied.
Strain your lemon juice. This is optional, but I find that it really makes a difference!
If your sauce breaks up, don’t panic! This has happened to almost everyone I know. You can save it by adding an extra egg yolk and hot water to the hot buttered hollandaise mixture. Add slowly, and whisk until the mixture is smooth again.
This hollandaise sauce is also delicious on asparagus, omelets, eggs casseroles (basically easy eggs Florentine), etc!
Serve with a nice side salad, and maybe a salty dog cocktail, and enjoy! Perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day brunch!!!
The Complete Recipe for Eggs Benedict (ingredient for 6 people)
For the poached eggs :
- 12 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
For the English muffins:
- 6 English muffins, cut in half
For the hollandaise sauce:
- 6 egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, strained
- 12 ounces unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Canadian bacon:
- 12 slices Canadian bacon
Topping:
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
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Recipe for Eggs Benedict: Instructions
For poached eggs:
- Fill a small saucepan with 3 to 4 inches of cold water. Heat the water over high heat until it reaches a gentle simmer and small bubbles begin to appear at the bottom of the pan, then stir in the vinegar. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and prevent the water from boiling.
- Break the eggs, one at a time, into a small bowl or cup, preferably with a spout.
- Place the bowl as close to the surface of the simmering water as possible, then gently slide the egg into the pan. If you wish, you can use a spoon to bring the egg whites closer to the yolk, but I find this optional as they usually float around the yolk quite well by themselves.
- At this point, you can add up to 3 more eggs, one at a time, repeating the steps listed above and leaving a little space between each one.
- Cook the eggs for 4 minutes, or until the egg whites are fully cooked but the yolks are still runny.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the poached eggs from the pan and place them on a plate. Repeat with all eggs.
For the English muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (F).
- Carefully cut English muffins in half. Place them on a large baking sheet.
- Toast for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside.
For the hollandaise sauce:
- In the body of a blender on medium speed, combine the egg yolks and lemon juice.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter until just liquid! Pour the butter into a glass measuring cup with a spout.
- Add the hot water to the egg yolk/lemon juice mixture and blend until combined.
- Keeping the speed of the blender low, begin to very slowly pour in the melted butter. It is very important to do this in a slow stream! (The lid of the blender should be on, but the cap should be off. You’ll pour the butter through this hole, so the sauce doesn’t splatter everywhere).
- Add the remaining ingredients and beat on high speed for 30 seconds, or until combined.
For the Canadian bacon:
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, reduce heat to medium, then add the Canadian bacon and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
Topping:
- Wash and dry the herbs. Chop finely and set aside.
Assembly:
- Place English muffin halves on a large serving platter.
- Top each half with two slices of Canadian bacon, a poached egg, a dollop of hollandaise sauce and a sprinkle of fresh herbs, if desired. Repeat for all muffins and serve immediately.
You now know how to make the perfect Eggs Benedict for the holidays! If you wish to reserve them in Lunch Boxes, I advise you to visit our catalog where we offer a wide range of Lunch Boxes
