Why you are cooking this tonight
Eggs Benedict is the dish that tells everyone at the brunch table that you have your life together. Poached eggs, a slab of ham, a toasted muffin, and hollandaise: a butter sauce held together by egg yolks and an arm-building whisk. Cooks in twenty minutes if you get the timing right. Looks like you went to finishing school.
The hollandaise is the whole game. Do not buy it in a jar. Real hollandaise is warm butter, egg yolks, lemon juice, and a splash of hot water to steady it. Whisk hard over barely-simmering water and do not let the bowl touch the water or you will scramble your yolks.
Notes on method
Poach eggs in simmering water with a splash of white vinegar. Swirl the water before each egg goes in. The hollandaise keeps over warm (not hot) water for 15 minutes before it splits.
What to pour with it
Champagne or a Tasmanian sparkling. For breakfast boldness, a Bloody Mary. Coffee with it always.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Bring 3cm water to a simmer in a small pot. Set a heatproof bowl over it without touching the water.
- Whisk yolks and lemon juice in the bowl for 2 minutes until pale and thick.
- Slowly pour the warm melted butter in a thin stream, whisking constantly. The sauce should emulsify and thicken. Add hot water to loosen if needed.
- Season with cayenne and salt. Keep over warm water off the heat until ready.
- Toast muffins, butter them. Warm the ham in a dry pan for 30 seconds per side.
- Bring a deep pan of water with vinegar to a gentle simmer. Crack an egg into a small cup. Swirl the water and slide the egg in. Cook 3 minutes for a runny yolk. Scoop out with a slotted spoon onto paper towel. Repeat.
- Place 2 muffin halves on each plate. Top with ham, a poached egg, and generous hollandaise. Scatter chives. Serve immediately.