While eggs Benedict is an indulgent, decadent breakfast, it isn’t hard to make. Once you’ve mastered the hollandaise sauce—the focal point of the dish—the challenging part is the timing: ensuring that your eggs, toast, and sauce are ready at the same time. As they say, practice makes perfect, so perfecting this dish is a wonderful excuse to keep practicing . . . over and over again!
Most eggs Benedict recipes call for ham, bacon, spinach, or other ingredients, but I keep things simple and stick with bread on the bottom (I love a slab of crusty, rustic bread instead of an English muffin), topped with a poached egg and the sauce, to highlight our fresh eggs.
Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- Hollandaise Sauce
- 2 split English muffins (or 2 slices bread)
- Freshly grated nutmeg for garnish
- Fresh tarragon for garnish
For the Hollandaise
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Kosher salt
- White pepper
Instructions
For the Benedict
- Poach or coddle the eggs in simmering water in a deep saucepan until soft set, about 3 minutes. The yolks should be a bit runny, so be careful not to overcook.
- Keep the eggs warm while you make the hollandaise sauce using the blender.
Make the Hollandaise
- Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, and water to a blender and pulse 3 to 5 seconds until well mixed. Melt the butter and slowly pour it through the top of the blender while the motor is running. Continue to blend about 30 seconds, until the sauce is light-colored, creamy, and emulsified. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Assemble the Eggs Benedict
- Toast the muffins or bread slices and place on 2 plates. Using a slotted spoon, place a poached egg on each English muffin half or 2 eggs side by side on each slice of toast, then spoon the hollandaise sauce generously over the top. Finish with the nutmeg and tarragon.
Notes
Excerpted with permission from The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook by Lisa Steele, © by Lisa Steele 2022. Published by Harper Horizon. Photography by Tina Rupp.