Eggs Benedict

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Eggs Benedict

Category

Breakfast

Cuisine

American

Servings

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

20 min

Who doesn't love a classic Eggs Benedict (aka Eggs Bennie) when you go out for breakfast. But it's also a great one to make at home on the weekends.

I've made a ridiculous amount of eggs Benedicts during my time as a chef, so I'll talk you through how to make a good hollandaise that doesn't split, and the rest of the steps are easy!

Approaching your hollandaise

Hollandaise is an emulsion sauce, which means it’s fat suspended in liquid using egg yolk as the emulsifier. The key variables are temperature and the rate at which you add the butter. Too much heat and the egg proteins cook through rather than emulsify, and the sauce breaks into a greasy scrambled-egg mess. Too fast with the butter and the emulsion can’t form a stable structure. I clarify the butter first to remove the water and milk solids. Clarified butter has a higher fat concentration than whole butter, which produces a richer, more stable sauce that’s less prone to splitting when served.

The double boiler setup gives you indirect heat so you can control the temperature of the yolk mixture without it touching the heat source directly. Whisk the yolks with the vinegar and lemon juice until they double in volume and turn pale, then take the bowl off the heat before adding the butter. The residual warmth of the bowl is enough to finish the emulsification. Once the sauce is ready, keep it covered with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent a skin forming while you fry the bacon and assemble.

Ingredient Notes

Clarified butter:

Clarifying removes the water (about 17% of whole butter) and milk solids, leaving pure butterfat. The absence of water makes the hollandaise more concentrated and reduces the risk of it splitting. It also lets you whisk in more fat before the sauce tightens up. To clarify, melt the butter over low heat until it foams, skim the foam, and pour off the clear yellow fat, leaving the white solids behind in the pan.

Apple cider vinegar:

The vinegar adds acidity to balance the richness of the butter, and it begins to lightly denature the yolk proteins before you apply any heat, helping the emulsion form more readily. A small amount of lemon juice is added later for brightness. White wine vinegar is the classic choice but apple cider vinegar gives a slightly rounder flavour and works equally well.

Canadian (back) bacon:

Back bacon is cut from the loin rather than the belly, so it’s leaner and more uniform in shape than streaky bacon. The rounded slices sit flat on the muffin and don’t overhang the edges. You can substitute with regular ham, or wilt some spinach in the pan for a vegetarian version (Eggs Florentine). Prosciutto or smoked salmon (Eggs Royale) are other common variations.

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Ingredients

225g butter
2 egg yolks
20 ml (1 tbsp) apple cider vinegar
sea salt, to taste
juice of 1/2 a lemon
4 English muffins, halved, lightly toasted
8 eggs, poached
200g Canadian Bacon (back bacon) or sliced leg ham
sliced chives and cracked black pepper, to garnish
water (a few drops, for thinning the sauce)
oil (for frying the bacon)

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Medium saucepan
Heatproof bowl (fits over saucepan without touching water)
Whisk
Frying pan
Slotted spoon (for poached eggs)

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Directions

CLARIFY THE BUTTER

Place butter in a saucepan over a medium low heat to melt, then bring to a simmer.
Skim the solids off the top, then once it has become clear, pour into another container, leaving the solids in the bottom of the pot to discard.

MAKE THE HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl base does not touch the water.
Add the egg yolks, vinegar and lemon juice in the bowl and whisk until doubled in volume and light yellow colour.
Remove the bowl from the heat and slowly whisk in the warm clarified butter (only lukewarm in temperature).
As the sauce starts to get very thick, add a few drops of water to thin it out slightly.
Once the mixture has emulsified, season it with salt to taste, then set aside, with the surface covered with a baking paper cartouche to stop a skin forming.

FINISH AND SERVE

Cook bacon in an oiled frying pan on medium high heat, until browned and starting to crisp.
To serve, top muffin halves with a slice of bacon, then carefully add a poached egg. Drizzle with the sauce and garnish with chives and cracked pepper.

Notes

Cook support

Hollandaise sauce does take practise to make perfect as it is quite easy to overcook and curdle, but there is a way to fix a split Hollandaise. Watch my short video on how to fix a split hollandaise here.

Variations

There are two popular variations of this dish; the Eggs Royale which uses smoked salmon instead of bacon or Eggs Florentine which is a good vegetarian alternative as it has spinach in place of bacon or salmon.

Storage

Hollandaise is best made fresh and served immediately. It doesn’t reheat well as the emulsion breaks at high temperatures. If you need to hold it for a short time, keep the bowl set over warm (not hot) water with plastic wrap touching the surface. It will hold for up to 30 minutes this way. Don’t refrigerate and reheat it.

FAQs

What if my hollandaise breaks?

If it splits, start with a fresh yolk in a clean bowl, whisk it briefly over the double boiler, then very slowly whisk the broken sauce into the fresh yolk as if it were butter. This usually brings it back. The most common cause is the bowl getting too hot or adding butter too quickly, so slow down on both next time.

Can I make a vegetarian version?

Yes. Swap the bacon for wilted spinach (Eggs Florentine) or sliced roasted tomato. The hollandaise itself is already vegetarian. For a fully plant-based version you’d need a different sauce entirely as hollandaise relies on egg yolks.

Can I use regular butter instead of clarified?

You can, but the sauce is less stable and slightly more prone to splitting because of the water content in whole butter. If you use whole butter, make sure it’s warm but not hot when you add it. The flavour is very similar. I prefer clarifying because it gives you more control and a richer, cleaner-tasting sauce.