| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 8 eggs
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 thick slices Canadian bacon
- 4 English muffins, fork split
- Hollandaise Sauce, recipe follows
- 4 cups mesclun mix
- Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
- Kosher salt
- 4 sticks unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon crushed peppercorns
- Ice cubes, as needed
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Fill a large, wide pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the vinegar and reduce the heat until the water in the pan has no more bubbles.
- Very close to the surface of the water, crack the eggs and gently drop each egg into the water. Cook the eggs for 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the pan and place in a bowl of cold water. Reserve the eggs in the cold water and reserve the poaching liquid to reheat the eggs. Obviously, if you are poaching the eggs a day ahead you can reheat the eggs in new water!
- Coat a large saute pan lightly with olive oil and bring to a medium heat. Add the slices of Canadian bacon and cook them on both sides until they are hot but not brown.
- Toast the English muffins. Place 1 slice Canadian bacon on each English muffin.
- Warm up the egg poaching liquid (or a pan of new water if you poached ahead) and place the eggs in the water for 1 minute or until the eggs are warm but not cooking any further. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the warm water, blot on a clean paper or tea towel and place 1 egg on each English muffin. Top with the Hollandaise Sauce.
- Toss the mesclun with lemon juice, big fat finishing oil and salt. Garnish each plate with the dressed greens.
- Wine Pairing Suggestion: Prosecco
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. While the butter is melting, skim off the froth that accumulates on the surface. Simmer the butter for 15 to 20 minutes and gently ladle off the clear butterfat into a measuring cup or small pitcher with a spout. Be sure to leave the milk solids in the bottom of the pan. This is called clarified butter.
- In a small saute pan, combine the vinegar and peppercorns and cook over a medium heat until almost all the vinegar has evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat and toss a couple ice cubes into the pan and let them sit until they have melted.
- In a medium metal bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they become frothy and fluffy. Strain the peppercorn liquid into the egg mixture.
- Put 1-inch water into a medium saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Place the metal bowl on top of the saucepan and gently cook the eggs, whisking frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Very slowly begin to add the clarified butter. Start with 2 to 3 drops and continue with a couple more drops after the butter has incorporated.
- Continue to add a few drops of butter at a time. If the eggs seem to be cooking too quickly, pull the bowl off the saucepan and lower the heat. If the eggs start to curdle, toss in an ice cube immediately to cool down the eggs. Continue to add the butter a little at a time until it is all incorporated. The sauce should be fluffy and foamy.
- Once the butter is all combined, add the lemon juice and season the sauce with cayenne and salt.
- Serve over the poached eggs.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 841 |
| Total Fat | 76 g |
| Saturated Fat | 43 g |
| Carbohydrates | 21 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 22 g |
| Cholesterol | 540 mg |
| Sodium | 680 mg |
Reviews
Awesome, first time my hollandaise sauce doesn’t separate. It came out fantastic and my son now prefers this to a McDonalds Egg McMuffin. Competition was serious before this!!
Eggcelent!
I’m spoiled because of this recipe. I mean that. My boyfriend made this and the hollandaise? To die for. It’s my all time favorite Eggs Benedict that I’ve ever eaten and my boyfriend and I recently figured out that we can smoke our own Canadian Bacon and it’s even better. Seriously, don’t hesitate, make this.
Delicious! I can see why some people felt it was too much lemon on the sauce and yes next time I’ll put a bit less but once I seasoned it and added the cayanne and salt and pour the souce over the eggs it came out perfectly all together. Im so impressed! Thank you Chef Anne My family and I love you and your recipes ❤️
This was amazing and easy. I was discouraged as I thought I had the butter on too long and my husband said it isn’t easy making hollandaise sauce. However, when my husband finished, he told me I nailed it. I was so happy. I halved the sauce as it was just for one. I didn’t have white wine vinegar so I used 1 Tbsp white vinegar and 2 very generous Tbsp’s of white wine. I used fresh bacon, from the butcher, sliced in front of us. I will never buy store bacon again. I also used artesian olive bread. Excellent and the only hollandaise sauce I will make.
Yum! I followed the recipe, except I substituted crispy bacon strips for the Canadian bacon. It was delish! Thanks!
Is this something that I love and it’s fun to make when I’m feeding family members they love it
I doubled this recipe for my mother’s day brunch (only I had a huge fruit platter instead of the greens) and had the eggs on a wax paper lined baking sheet ready to throw on top of the toasted muffin and warmed bacon. the hollandaise was the thing I made first. I had clarified the butter the night before so it only needed warming to be ready, and I always have “fresh” lemon juice from my tree’s lemons that I juice and freeze into ice cubes. Just having the eggs already separated and the butter ready, juice standing by, everything came together so quickly, I barely had to step away from my guests! The sauce stayed perfectly in the metal bowl while I turned off the stove and let it sit over the hot water pan, whisking occasionally while I got the eggs poached. Everyone loves this recipe, including me! I’m a bit of a benedict snob, and judge a restaurant by it’s eggs benedict for sure! I don’t have to worry about the overcooked eggs, the cold sauce, or the under-toasted muffin ever again!
This was a daunting task for me until I read thru Anne’s recipe and watched her video. When she mentioned having the ice on hand, as an insurance policy for the hollandaise sauce, I thought I’d try. At one point I saw the hollandaise start to cook til I added the ice. I’m now sold on this recipe. My first attempt at making eggs benedict was a success! I WILL be making this again. You rock, Anne!
Yummy, made it today for my birthday. A lot of work but as good or better than any I’ve had at a restaurant before. Will make agin for sure!