Click for printer-friendly version!
Eggs Benedict is the ultimate weekend or special occasion brunch. Served with champagne or a bloody mary, I can’t think of many meals more decadent. There’s just something about Eggs Benedict that means vacation. And if you feel like breakfast for dinner, there is none finer. Tips for having your whole breakfast hot and ready at the same time, poaching eggs and assembling Eggs Benedict included after the recipes.
UPDATE: Watch the video!
Ingredients for Hollandaise Sauce:
4-6 tablespoons butter
2 beaten egg yolks
2 teaspoons water
2-3 teaspoons lemon juice
dash salt, crack pepper
dash hot sauce or cayenne pepper
sprinkling chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley
Ingredients for Breakfast Potatoes:
1 1/2 – 2 cups chopped, cleaned potatoes (any variety)
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
In the top of a double boiler combine beaten egg yolks, water and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Whisk together and add 1-2 tablespoons butter. Place over hot water (water that has almost come to a boil and been turned down) and stir continuously. WARNING: If your heat is too high and you do not whisk vigorously you will scramble your eggs!
Continue adding butter a tablespoon at a time while whisking vigorously. Add salt, pepper and a dash of hot sauce. Continue whisking until hot and thickened. Remove from heat.
NOTE: If your Hollandaise becomes too thick, add a teaspoon of warm water or lemon juice depending on taste. Whisk well. Makes 1/2 cup sauce or enough to generously cover 4 poached eggs.
Spoon over poached eggs, Canadian bacon and English muffins and you’ve got Eggs Benedict. Top with a sprinkling of parsley and a crack of black pepper.
Breakfast Potatoes
After washing, peeling and cubing potatoes, either boil in water on the stove top or in the microwave until tender. Drain water and place into a hot skillet with a teaspoon or two of olive oil. (Left over mashed, baked or roasted potatoes will also work.) Break apart potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until potatoes just start to brown before adding vegetables. Incorporate vegetables into potatoes. Cook until vegetables become tender while potatoes continue to brown. Push mixture together to form a loose patty and continue browning. Top patty with Parmesan cheese and allow it to melt. Flip patty over and continue browning until golden, crisp and delicious.
Tips for having your whole breakfast hot and ready at the same time, poaching eggs and assembling Eggs Benedict:
I prepare the Hollandaise sauce first and set it aside (at room temperature) while I prepare the rest of the meal. The Hollandaise Sauce can be brought back to temperature either in the microwave (10-20 seconds) or over low heat on the stove top (2-3 minutes) just before plating.
Next, I prepare the potatoes. Same idea, the potatoes can be kept warm on the stove top over low heat, placed in the oven at 250(F) or even zapped in the microwave just before plating and serving.
TIP: Keep potatoes, muffins and Canadian bacon (wrapped in foil so it doesn’t dry out) warm, in the oven.
The slices of Canadian bacon can be browned along side the cooked potatoes. Canadian bacon usually comes pre-cooked, so it is just a matter of browning and heating.
You know your toaster better than I do, but I start toasting my muffins when the eggs go in to poach. The muffin doesn’t need to be piping hot either because you do not need to butter it (do I need to mention that?)
Now. You’re about to make egg magic and you’ve only got 4 – 6 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. A great tip is to add about two teaspoons of vinegar to your poaching water. Don’t worry, you won’t taste it, the vinegar helps the whites to “form” around the yolks.
Crack eggs into separate bowls so you can “slide” them into the pot of hot water.
Use a plastic slotted spoon to carefully remove the eggs from the water and place on a separate plate, not right onto the muffin. Four minutes produces an over-medium style yolk. Right after you take the eggs from the water, pop the Hollandaise into the microwave, 20 seconds. But keep an eye on it – you don’t want it to separate.
Keep in mind, when you pour hot hollandaise sauce over poached eggs, the yolks will be cooked even further, which is something to calculate considering how you like your eggs.
Search terms: betty #32, eggs benedict recipe, hollandaise sauce recipe, breakfast potato recipe, country potato recipe, poached egg recipe, breakfast recipe, brunch recipe, breakfast in bed recipe, best hollandaise sauce recipe, step-by-step eggs benedict recipe
Link to the Happy Hollandaise video.
Link to the accompanying Happy Hollandaise blog post.
