Kyle and I LOVE Eggs Benedict. My three year old... not so much! But, she does like scrambled eggs and Canadian bacon or salami (whichever we use), and sometimes she likes the Hollandaise, so we make it work! This is so versatile... you can add asparagus, spinach, artichoke, bacon, crab, anything... the possibilities are endless and trust me, almost every version has a name!!
Do you know how Eggs Benedict was first created? Well, if you said "no," you're not alone... nobody really does! There are so many varying reports on who created this dish, when and where... it's a mystery! We watched an episode of "Good Eats" recently, which was focused on Eggs Benedict and it was full of all kinds of interesting info and tidbits. The one thing that is for sure, Eggs Benedict has absolutely nothing to do with Benedict Arnold, which is a famous rumor.
OK, so - how do you make Eggs Benedict? Well, first you need to get acquainted with an egg cooking practice known as poaching. Know what that means? You boil the egg, outside of its shell. I must say, I refused to eat Eggs Benedict for many, many years - and probably missed many chances for exquisite meals... :/ I do remember a restaurant in Austin with my besties, who both ordered EB and I ordered migas! Migas! Instead of EB! Oh, how I loathe the day...!!!
Moving on, less drama...! So, to poach an egg, you bring water to a gentle boil in a large mouth pot. After the water has begun to boil, add a good splash of distilled white vinegar. This will keep your eggs bright white - otherwise, they turn a little yellow, they don't look as pretty. Poaching eggs takes some practice. You have to learn the balance between the water boiling too rapidly and not boiling the egg too long. You really want your eggs to be runny in the middle, like a sunny side up egg. Well, that is unless you prefer your eggs more cooked, ha! You also want to drop in each egg individually. Crack your egg, dump it into a small bowl to make sure you have no shell and lastly drop the egg into the water without breaking the yolk.
A poached egg - the finished productWe buy a packet mix for Hollandaise, this is not something we even pretend to know how to make, so if you have your own recipe, please use away (and share!), but if not, the packets you can find in the grocery store are excellent, easy and let's face it - convenient. There are many brands, so please read the back of the packet before you leave the store to ensure you have all needed ingredients (usually water and/or milk and butter).
So, you ready for the "how to"?! The hollandaise will be enough for 10, so the instructions are for 10 EB's.
Egg Benedict - An Instructional
Ingredients:
10 fresh eggs
1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
10 slices Canadian Bacon
5 English Muffins
1 pkg Hollandaise sauce with ingredients needed to make as directed
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Add water to a large sauce pot or chili pot, filling 3/4 of the way. Bring water to gentle boil over medium/medium-high heat. Once water boils, add vinegar. Crack open eggs, one at a time, into small shallow bowl. Check for shell, then gently pour egg into boiling water. You can do about 4 eggs at one time, dropping them with plenty of space between. Some of the white of the eggs will slough off and float independently from the egg, this is A-OK. Boil each egg 4 minutes. Remove to plate with paper towel to soak up excess water.
Prepare Hollandaise sauce as directed. This usually takes around 10 minutes total.
While eggs are boiling, add Canadian bacon to skillet and fry until light brown. Remove and set aside. Toast English muffins to light brown, crispy texture.
Once all components are prepared, begin to plate! Place your English muffin, inside up then layer with Canadian bacon, egg and lastly, hollandaise. Top with salt and pepper and viola! Egg-cellent (sorry... couldn't help myself!) dinner, brunch, lunch, breakfast... any time of the day - Eggs Benedict rocks!
