Eggs Benedict

Name: Eggs Benedict
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 1 batch Hollandaise, about 300 ml; 4 English muffins, split; 15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened, for the muffins; 8 slices good cooked ham or Canadian bacon, about 200 g; 8 very fresh large eggs; 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped; 1 pinch paprika or cayenne, optional

Poached eggs, ham and hollandaise on a toasted muffin

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 30 min
Total: 30 min
Level: Some skill

The brunch classic: a toasted English muffin, warm ham, a soft poached egg and a spoonful of lemony hollandaise. The order of work is what makes it manageable, so the sauce is made first and kept warm.

Ingredients

Hollandaise

1 batch Hollandaiseabout 300 ml

To assemble

4English muffinssplit
15 gunsalted butter (1 tbsp)softened, for the muffins
8 slicesgood cooked ham or Canadian baconabout 200 g
8very fresh large eggs
1 tbspchivesfinely chopped
1 pinchpaprika or cayenneoptional

Allergens: egg, milk, gluten
Origin: United States (New York)

Method

Make the hollandaise and keep it warm in a bowl over a pan of warm water, off the heat, or in a warmed vacuum flask.
Heat the oven to 100°C (210°F) and put four plates in to warm.
Bring a wide pan of water to a gentle simmer for poaching.
Toast the muffin halves until golden, butter them lightly, and keep them warm on the plates.
Warm the ham in a dry frying pan over medium heat, 1 minute per side, and lay a slice on each muffin half.
Poach the eggs in two batches as for Poached Eggs, draining each through a sieve first, 3–3½ minutes per batch. 7 min
Lift out the eggs, blot on paper towels, and set one on each muffin half.
Spoon 2 tbsp of hollandaise over each egg, sprinkle with chives and a pinch of paprika, and serve at once.

Why it works

Hollandaise holds for up to an hour if kept just warm, so making it first removes the last-minute rush. Warm plates and muffins stop the hollandaise from setting on contact. Fresh eggs have firm whites that poach into tidy shapes, which matters when they're sitting on a muffin.

Common mistakes

Making everything at once: the eggs overcook or the sauce cools. Follow the order.
Keeping the hollandaise too hot: it splits. Warm, not hot.
Cold plates: the sauce congeals.

Variations

Eggs Florentine: Replace ham with 300 g spinach wilted in butter and squeezed dry.
Eggs Royale: Replace ham with smoked salmon; skip warming it.

Make ahead and storage

Poach eggs up to 2 days ahead and reheat in hot water for 1 minute (see Poached Eggs).

Notes

English muffins usually contain milk and sometimes soy; check the label. Use pasteurized eggs in the hollandaise for the vulnerable.