May 30, 2020

Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict


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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16 comments:

  1. Every time I open your blog, I just re- fall in love with that beach photo! It's so beautiful. The eggs Benedict look good and quite interesting but as I vegan, I'll have to pass.

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    1. Thank you for your sweet words about my photo, Judee! I change it out every month, so you will only have one more day to view it. :)

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  2. I agree with Judee, everytime I click on your site I stare at your header photo. Its stunning.
    Eggs Benedict are my very favorite and treat to order out.

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    1. Thank you, Tina! My header photo changes tomorrow, so stay tuned. :)

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  3. congratulations - I have been resorting to silicone but your eggs look so much better. Cheers

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    1. Carole, I've heard of many methods for poaching eggs and this is by far the easiest. The sauce was super simple, too.

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  4. I’ve always left eggs benedict to be prepared by the cooks in a diner. Somehow they seem to know how to do it! Now that we can’t eat anywhere but home, maybe I need to pay attention to recipes for this treat. It definitely isn’t a good choice for takeout!!

    be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Mae, I think you'll find that this is much easier to prepare than you think. It's quite rich with the sauce, so I won't make it too often, but when I'm in the mood for a simple poached egg, I'm glad I have a fool-proof method.

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  5. One of the things that we are looking forward to is being able to go out for brunch. I often order poached eggs but I have never made them myself!

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    1. Marg, we rarely go out for brunch except maybe when we're traveling, so I'm glad I can make this at home. Give it a whirl!

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  6. Love Eggs Benedict! Of course, I prefer to have them as a family time with my daughters and their families, but my husband made them for me on Mother's Day, and they were delicious. I'll show him your recipe. :)

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    1. Jenclair, you'll have to let me know how they turn out. I made them for my mom for Mother's Day, as well, although I added a homemade crab cake instead of bacon!

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  7. I've been noticing your header photo all month, too! Glad I caught it one more time. I like the sound of your recipe, much better homemade than at a restaurant!

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  8. oh yum i love hollandaise - the more lemony the better! and i have to agree with everyone else that your banner photo is just beautiful.
    cheers
    sherry

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    1. Thanks, Sherry. I've changed it up today, but am not satisfied, so I think I'll try a different photo.

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