Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict

Cook's Country

Hooray! I have finally found a fool-proof recipe for Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise, thanks to Cook's Country. Here are their notes:

We developed an unconventional technique for hollandaise that required whisking butter and egg yolks on the stovetop in a double boiler. This method reversed the usual order of operations, which combines the yolks with water from the start. Mixing the yolks with butter created a stronger emulsion that was less likely to break during cooking. The resulting sauce is so stable that it can be chilled and reheated. We used a lot of water in this sauce and added the lemon juice off heat. The sauce is foamier than a classic hollandaise, but holds without breaking for as long as an hour. It can be refrigerated for up to three days and reheated without breaking.

Poaching the eggs in a shallow skillet rather than a saucepan makes them easier to retrieve from the poaching water. Trying to get all the eggs into the pan at once can be a challenge. To ensure success, we cracked the eggs into four teacups and then tilted the cups to gently slide the eggs into the boiling water all at once. (See My Notes). We then moved the pan off heat; the gentle residual heat kept the whites intact and the yolks soft and runny.  

Hollandaise Sauce:

8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened (see My Notes)
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup boiling water
2 tsp. lemon juice
Salt
Pinch cayenne pepper

Eggs Benedict:

4 English muffins, split
8 slices Canadian bacon
2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
8 large eggs

For the Hollandaise:

Place butter and egg yolks in large heat-resistant glass or ceramic bowl. Bring 1/2 inch water to simmer in medium saucepan. Place bowl over simmering water, making sure that water does not touch bottom of bowl, and whisk constantly until mixture is smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute. 

Slowly add 1/3 cup boiling water and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and sauce registers 160-165 degrees, 7-10 minutes. Off heat and whisk in lemon juice, 1/8 tsp. salt, and cayenne. Remove saucepan from heat (keep bowl over water bath) and season with salt to taste. Cover to keep warm.

For the Eggs Benedict:

Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Arrange English muffins split side up on baking sheet and broil until golden brown, 2-4 minutes. Place 1 slice bacon on each muffin half and broil until hot and beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Remove sheet from oven and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Fill 12-inch skillet nearly to rim with water. Add vinegar and salt and bring to boil over high heat. Crack 2 eggs into each of the 4 teacups. Carefully and simultaneously pour eggs into skillet. Cover pan, remove from heat, and poach eggs until whites are set but yolks are still runny, 4 minutes. For firmer eggs, cook 2-3 minutes longer.

Use slotted spoon to transfer eggs from pan to paper towel-lined plate. Arrange 1 poached egg on top of each muffin half. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons hollandaise over each egg. Serve, passing remaining hollandaise separately.

My Notes:

Be sure the butter is softened at room temperature and not in the microwave!

I used regular bacon (cooked ahead of time) instead of Canadian bacon.

Prior to poaching the eggs, I strain them (individually) with a fine meshed sieve over ramekins before slipping them into the water. The sieve (and adding white vinegar to the water) eliminates the stringy white egg mass in the pan and produces a more compact attractive looking poached egg. Make sure you don’t leave the egg in the sieve for more than 30 seconds.

These are delicious as is or served with sliced avocado and crab cakes.

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