Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict are classic brunch food—rich, special, and just complicated enough you don't want to make them at home. But we're here to tell you that you absolutely can—and should—make Eggs Benedict in your own home, for you or for the whole family.

Silky, velvety hollandaise sauce brings together each bite of perfectly poached eggs, buttery toasted English muffins, and salty, meaty ham. Making a hollandaise and poaching eggs are two skills every home cook should know how to do. They're fairly simple, but they're easy to mess up. Nail these (and ultimately this eggs Benedict recipe), and you'll impress anyone.

Learn how to make classic eggs Benedict, and discover the whirlpool trick that will surely help you poach perfect eggs.

What Is Eggs Benedict?

Eggs Benedict is an American breakfast or brunch dish. The base of the recipe is toasted English muffins. To that, you'll add warmed Canadian bacon and poached eggs. Finally, a rich and creamy hollandaise sauce is spooned over the egg. Hollandaise is balanced by the addition of lemon juice and hot sauce, but the base of butter and eggs is rich—and we mean rich.

It's not a Southern dish traditionally—it probably originated in New York City, or at least became popularized there in places like The Waldorf (just like the Old-Fashioned and Red Velvet Cake). But as with many recipes, Southerners have found ways to make it their own, such as Southern Salmon Benedict.

Secrets of Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict isn't the easiest dish to make, but with a good recipe and a few tips, you'll be a pro in no time.

• Be patient with yourself: Hollandaise and poached eggs are veritable skills. They are simple but easy to mess up. Perfect these, and you’ll impress anyone.
• Create a whirlpool: The whirlpool trick for poaching eggs will surely help (more on that in the recipe).
• Make a tighter poached egg: You can dump your cracked egg into a small sieve and get rid of some of the excess watery white, leaving a lovely round white surrounding your egg. It is not imperative, but it makes a more attractive poach.
  
• Don't stop whisking: Get your wrists ready! When you combine the egg yolks and butter, you need to whisk constantly to incorporate enough air so that the sauce will turn creamy and double in volume. If you stop, it will take longer to get there and draw out the process.
  

Who Is Benedict of Eggs Benedict?

There's nothing to definitively say, but it is likely that this dish was named after LeGrand Benedict, a regular patron of Delmonico's restaurants in New York City. Delmonico's chef, Charles Ronhofer, is said to have created this dish when Ms. Benedict complained that nothing new was available on the menu. Eggs a la Benedict was later published in the restaurant's 1894 cookbook.

Ingredients for Eggs Benedict

This is a classic recipe for Eggs Benedict, so our ingredient list is streamlined. You can get creative and add other things to make this dish your own, however.

• Butter: Salted butter is preferred, but if you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt to the melted butter for the hollandaise after the butter is melted.
• Eggs: You'll need whole eggs for poaching and egg yolks for the hollandaise. Learn how to separate egg yolks from whites.
• Lemon juice: When added to the sauce, it helps to brighten it up and blunt the richness of the butter and egg yolks.
• Hot sauce: For just a touch of extra flavor in the hollandaise sauce.
• White vinegar: You'll use this, in water, to poach the eggs.
• Canadian bacon: This is the traditional meat used for Eggs Benedict, but you can use other breakfast meats, including bacon or sausage.
• English muffins: The classic bread of Eggs Benedict.
• Scallions: For adding a burst of freshness on top of the dish when it's done.

How To Make Eggs Benedict

There are three major components to eggs Benedict, and you'll make them individually before assembling the final dish. Keep scrolling for the full recipe, but here's a brief outline:

• Step 1. Make the hollandaise sauce. Combine egg yolks. lemon juice, and melted butter. Stir in hot sauce and salt for flavor—and warm tap water if the sauce thickens too much. Whisk until light and fluffy.
• Step 2. Heat bacon: In a large skillet, heat the slices of Canadian bacon until lightly browned on both sides.
• Step 3. Poach eggs: Bring a pot of water and vinegar to a boil. Stir the pot in one direction to create a whirlpool effect. Drop one egg into the center of the whirlpool, and keep stirring, letting the egg cook. Remove the poached egg, and repeat the process for each egg.
• Step 4. Assemble: Toast the English muffins. To each English muffin half, add a slice of bacon, a poached egg, a spoonful of hollandaise sauce, then a sprinkle of scallions. Serve.

How To Serve Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict are traditionally served at breakfast or bunch, so you will surely want a mimosa to cut the richness of the hollandaise. Finish out the breakfast plate with fried breakfast potatoes or a side of fresh fruit.

If this is a brunch dish, consider a lightly dressed green salad. Steamed or roasted asparagus is a common side, as is sautéed spinach.

More Decadent Breakfast Recipes

If you're looking for great breakfast or brunch recipe ideas, consider these next:

• Old-Fashioned Pancakes
• Ham-and-Cheese Puff Pastries
• Croissant Breakfast Casserole
• Sausage Gravy
• Hashbrown Casserole