Eggs Benedict

I recently taught a cooking class for a friend who wanted to learn how to make Eggs Benedict. He loves to have people visit on the weekends and making brunch for the entire crew. He always wanted to be able to make Eggs Benedict for his special visitors.

So, I pulled out my whisk and did a few rounds of poaching eggs and making hollandaise to remember how all of this comes together. 

Eggs Benedict is a beautiful dish that is rich and flavorful. It looks like it takes a lot of effort to make, but it’s pretty simple. It just takes a bit of practice to get the timing of getting everything done at the same time.

So, what’s first? Do your mise en place.

What You Need

Eggs

Lemon

Cayenne

Salt

Unsalted Butter (1 stick, melted and kept warm)

Vinegar

Canadian Bacon (or regular bacon, cooked)

English Muffins (sliced)

Parsley (chopped)

Non-reactive, Stainless Steel Bowl

Whisk

Saucepan (for double-boiler with stainless steel bowl)

Wide Saucepan

Ramekins

Slotted Spoon

Plate lined with paper towels or kitchen towel

Ice Water Bath (if pre-cooking eggs)

Saute pan

Make the Hollandaise

First up, is to make the hollandaise. It takes a bit more time and is easier to keep warm while poaching the eggs than keeping the eggs warm without overcooking. You can make the hollandaise in a blender, but I think it tastes better if you take the time (and the arm muscle) to make it by hand.

Cook the Bacon and Toast the Muffins

Brown the bacon in a saute pan while toasting the muffins in the toaster or under the broiler.

Poach the Eggs

Now, you are ready to poach the eggs. You can learn how to perfectly poach eggs in my blog post.

Assemble

When the eggs are done, gently pat them dry with the paper towels to remove excess water. Now, you’re ready to assemble!

Place the sliced muffins on a plate. Top each muffin with a slice of the bacon. Top each half with a poached egg and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the velvety hollandaise over each half and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. 

Next time you’re thinking about going out to brunch, try making it at home!