Why It Works
- Our foolproof two-minute hollandaise uses hot butter and an immersion blender to create a creamy, light, perfect hollandaise in a fraction of the time that it takes to make a traditional batch. And it's much easier.
- The secret to foolproof poached eggs is to drain them in a strainer before gently lowering them into a pot of hot water. This eliminates all of the annoying, excess wispy whites.
Have you ever noticed that as your relationship with a person evolves, your assessment of their personality goes up and down in waves? When I first met my wife, our relationship went through its "oh my goodness, this is so simple and easy!" phase, soon followed by the "WTF? She is the most complicated and impossible to understand woman in the world" phase, before settling down into its current "OK, once you get to understand the underlying issues, it's actually all rather simple again" phase.
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My relationship with eggs Benedict followed a similar course. Ingredients list? Simple. Eggs, butter, lemon juice, Canadian bacon, and English muffin. Just throw them all together and you've got the world's greatest brunch, right?
That was before I realized that poaching eggs is the most difficult way to cook them and that hollandaise will curdle or break if you accidentally look at it wrong.Eggs Benedict,I said to the eggs one day while working on the line in the middle of a brunch service, I willneverunderstand you, and maybe it's time we reevaluate our relationship and perhaps take a step back to the stage where we're merely providing carnal pleasure for each other, with none of the messiness that comes with more serious intimacy.
But no, we sought counseling in the form of incessant testing, practice, and research, and have now successfully managed to achieve that state in our relationship where things are finally simple again.
Once you've mastered a couple of basic techniques and learned a few tricks, you'll be happy to know that this same relationship is firmly within your grasp as well. You too will be able to partake in the pleasure of puncturing a snow-white, perfectly-shaped poached egg, napped in light, buttery-smooth hollandaise, and watching as that golden yolk spills out and spreads slowly over the crisply fried ham below, dripping over its edges and getting caught in the nooks and crannies of a toasted English muffin.
The real trick is something I've already revealed in the past: once you learn how to makefoolproof poached eggsandfoolproof hollandaise, the rest is a snap.
Foolproof Poached Eggs
The first step to perfect eggs Benedict is poached eggs. I like to poach my eggs in advance. They can be stored in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for up to a few days before you serve them. All you need to do is reheat them in hot tap water for a few minutes before serving.
The real difficulty with poached eggs lies in the fact that there is a lot of loose, liquid-y egg white that floats and sets in thin wisps as the eggs cook. The key to perfect poached eggs? Use a fine-mesh strainer to remove that excess white before you lower the eggs into a pot of not-quite-simmering water.
How to Poach Eggs
Foolproof Hollandaise Sauce
Hollandaise was the bane of my existence for many years, back when I used to make it by hand at a restaurant every morning.
These days, it's become so darn easy to make that I could use it in place of milk for my cereal in the morning and it wouldn't add much time to my routine. I may try that.
With traditional hollandaise, you'd whisk egg yolks with lemon juice over a double boiler until thickened and frothy, then slowly drizzle inclarified butterto form a thick, mayonnaise-like emulsion. My foolproof version dispenses with all of this. Instead, you simply put the yolks and lemon juice in a cup, then with a hand blender running in it, slowly drizzle in hot melted butter. The hot butter cooks the egg yolks as it emulsifies and you end up with a sauce that is indistinguishable from the real deal, all in about two minutes. Check out the video below for more details.
Putting It All Together
Once the eggs and hollandaise are done, you're pretty much home free. All that's left is to fry up some slices of Canadian bacon or ham steak (I find that frying gently in butter produces the crispest edgiest and best browning for the tastiest results), then toast a couple of split English muffins, and you're ready to assemble the unrivaled King of Brunch.
If you must, you can adorn his head with some black pepper and chopped herbs like parsley or chives, but only if youreallymust.
Pro-Tip: learning how to get to this stage with your eggs Benedict will greatly facilitate your journey towards reaching the equivalent stage with your partner.
June 2014
Recipe Details
Foolproof Eggs Benedict Recipe
Active30 mins
Total30 mins
Serves4 servings
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
8 slices Canadian bacon or ham steak, cut into English muffin-sized pieces
4 buttered and toasted English muffins
8 foolproof poached eggs, drained(see notes)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 recipefoolproof hollandaise, kept warm (see notes)
Minced fresh parsley or chives (optional)
Directions
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat until foaming. Add ham slices and cook, turning occasionally, until heated through, golden brown, and crisp on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Divide English muffin halves between 4 plates. Place 1 ham slice on each English muffin half and top with one drained egg. Season eggs with salt and pepper.
Spoon warm hollandaise over each egg. Sprinkle with parsley or chives (if using) and serve immediately.
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Notes
Poached eggs can be stored in a bowl of warm water until ready to place on English muffins. They can also be cooked up to three days ahead, stored in a bowl of water in the refrigerator. To reheat, add the eggs to a bowl of hot tap water and let them sit for at least 15 minutes.
Hollandaise should be made just before cooking ham and toasting English muffins. It can be kept warm in a covered pot on a warm spot of the stove. Do not reheat directly over a flame or it will curdle and break.
- Poached Eggs
- Easter
- Mother's Day
- Father's Day
