A poached egg resting atop Canadian bacon and a crisp English muffin all smothered in a velvety, lemony hollandaise sauce is the quintessential Sunday brunch dish. This little slice of heaven is known as Eggs Benedict.
Legend has it this mouth-watering treat was created in the mid-1890s in New York City as a cure, of all things, for a hangover. Lemuel Benedict, a retired Wall Street stock broker, claimed that he had wandered into the Waldorf Hotel in 1894 and, hoping to find a cure for his morning hangover, ordered "buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon and a hooker of hollandaise." (Yes, a hooker, aka a dollop.) Oscar Tschirky, the famed maître d'hôtel, was so impressed with the dish that he put it on the breakfast and luncheon menus but substituted ham and a toasted English muffin for the bacon and toast.
It's a general misconception that making this highbrow hangover cure is complicated and requires a lot of ingredients. All you need are eggs, a lemon, some butter, an English muffin, and some Canadian bacon and in no time at all, you have yourself a deliciously filling morning treat.
Eggs Benedict
Serves 2
3 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon cold water
2 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into two 1 Tablespoon pieces
pinch salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
4 eggs
8 slices Canadian bacon
2 English muffins, each split in half
fresh ground pepper
Fill a large saute pan with 3" of water and set over low heat on the back burner.
In a 1-cup glass measuring cup, melt the stick of butter and set aside. Put some water in the bottom of a small saucepan and bring to a very slow simmer to create the bottom of your double boiler. Next take a Pyrex bowl that will fit nicely over the saucepan without touching the simmering water and add the 3 egg yolks to the bowl. Whisk the egg yolks with a wire whisk for about a minute, until creamy. Add the lemon juice, pinch of salt, and water and whisk again for another minute. Add one of the two 1-tablespoon pieces of cold butter, but don't mix in.
Place your Pyrex bowl over the small saucepan of gently simmering water and slowly stir the egg yolk mixture with the wire whisk until the butter has melted and the mixture thickens to the consistency of light cream, about 2-3 minutes.
When the mixture thickens, remove the bowl from the saucepan and begin adding the melted butter in very small increments (1/2 a tablespoon max!), while still whisking. Wait for the melted butter to be incorporated into the mixture before adding more butter. Repeat this until you've reached the white separated butter solids at the bottom. Don't add the solids though as they make the sauce too thick.
Adjust the sauce for seasonings adding more lemon juice if necessary. The sauce should be thick, but still slightly runny. Cover and set aside.
Bring the saute pan to the front burner and adjust the heat so that the water is just at a slow simmer. Once you have the simmer, add the 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar.
Break an egg into a mug and slowly pour the egg into the water. Repeat this for the other 3 eggs, one at a time. Using a slotted spoon, gently move the eggs around to ensure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan but taking care not to disturb the yolks. Allow the eggs to cook for about 3 minutes.
While the eggs are cooking, toast the English muffins and heat up the Canadian bacon. When ready, put the English muffins on a plate, two per plate. Next add the Canadian bacon, two slices per muffin half.
With the slotted spoon, gently remove the eggs from the water and be sure to very gently drain them. Put one egg on each English muffin/Canadian bacon stack. Top generously with the hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.
Legend has it this mouth-watering treat was created in the mid-1890s in New York City as a cure, of all things, for a hangover. Lemuel Benedict, a retired Wall Street stock broker, claimed that he had wandered into the Waldorf Hotel in 1894 and, hoping to find a cure for his morning hangover, ordered "buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon and a hooker of hollandaise." (Yes, a hooker, aka a dollop.) Oscar Tschirky, the famed maître d'hôtel, was so impressed with the dish that he put it on the breakfast and luncheon menus but substituted ham and a toasted English muffin for the bacon and toast.
It's a general misconception that making this highbrow hangover cure is complicated and requires a lot of ingredients. All you need are eggs, a lemon, some butter, an English muffin, and some Canadian bacon and in no time at all, you have yourself a deliciously filling morning treat.
Eggs Benedict
Serves 2
3 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon cold water
2 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into two 1 Tablespoon pieces
pinch salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
4 eggs
8 slices Canadian bacon
2 English muffins, each split in half
fresh ground pepper
Fill a large saute pan with 3" of water and set over low heat on the back burner.
In a 1-cup glass measuring cup, melt the stick of butter and set aside. Put some water in the bottom of a small saucepan and bring to a very slow simmer to create the bottom of your double boiler. Next take a Pyrex bowl that will fit nicely over the saucepan without touching the simmering water and add the 3 egg yolks to the bowl. Whisk the egg yolks with a wire whisk for about a minute, until creamy. Add the lemon juice, pinch of salt, and water and whisk again for another minute. Add one of the two 1-tablespoon pieces of cold butter, but don't mix in.
Place your Pyrex bowl over the small saucepan of gently simmering water and slowly stir the egg yolk mixture with the wire whisk until the butter has melted and the mixture thickens to the consistency of light cream, about 2-3 minutes.
When the mixture thickens, remove the bowl from the saucepan and begin adding the melted butter in very small increments (1/2 a tablespoon max!), while still whisking. Wait for the melted butter to be incorporated into the mixture before adding more butter. Repeat this until you've reached the white separated butter solids at the bottom. Don't add the solids though as they make the sauce too thick.
Adjust the sauce for seasonings adding more lemon juice if necessary. The sauce should be thick, but still slightly runny. Cover and set aside.
Bring the saute pan to the front burner and adjust the heat so that the water is just at a slow simmer. Once you have the simmer, add the 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar.
Break an egg into a mug and slowly pour the egg into the water. Repeat this for the other 3 eggs, one at a time. Using a slotted spoon, gently move the eggs around to ensure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan but taking care not to disturb the yolks. Allow the eggs to cook for about 3 minutes.
While the eggs are cooking, toast the English muffins and heat up the Canadian bacon. When ready, put the English muffins on a plate, two per plate. Next add the Canadian bacon, two slices per muffin half.
With the slotted spoon, gently remove the eggs from the water and be sure to very gently drain them. Put one egg on each English muffin/Canadian bacon stack. Top generously with the hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.
Enjoy! (with a Mimosa!)
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