For a tasty twist on the classic try this bacon and eggs Benedict! It is a sure way to impress your family at tomorrow morning's breakfast table!
Every literary aficionado has a checklist of classic tales they must read, every traveling buff has a bucket list of locations they must visit, and every foodie should have a list of classic dishes they hope to make. If you are a foodie and eggs Benedict is not on your list then you have made a glaring oversight!
What is it?
Eggs Benedict is prepared by building upon a two essential cooking techniques; poaching eggs, and of course Hollandaise sauce, one of the 5 mother sauces that create the foundation of all classic sauce making. This is served together over a toasted English muffin and slices of bacon.
Ingredients Needed
- English Muffins - These serve as the base of the meal and are perfect for sopping up the delicious Hollandaise!
- Bacon - Use your favorite brand, thin and thick cut work equally well. Alternatively, you can go the traditional route and use Canadian bacon instead.
- Eggs
- White vinegar - Vinegar is important because it helps to quickly firm the egg whites when poaching, preventing them from dispersing in the water.
- Egg yolks - Combines with the butter to make the sauce.
- Lemon juice - Brightens the flavor of the sauce.
- Butter - A generous amount of butter makes the sauce intoxicatingly silky!
How to poach eggs
Heat water in a saucepan or pot until simmering, and add vinegar to the water along with a generous pinch of salt. The vinegar helps seize the egg whites and cook them faster before they float away in the water.
Crack the egg and gently drop it in the water, discarding the shell. Then turn off the heat and the eggs cook for five minutes. The exterior should be firm while the yolk stays runny.
Make sure you have a slotted spoon for making this recipe. It is well suited to remove the poached eggs from the water. You don't want to use a regular spoon as it will also collect water that will make your English Muffin soggy.
How to make Hollandaise Sauce
Set a pan over very low heat and add egg yolk. Low heat is important because you do not want the yolk to cook too quickly and curdle. Whisk the yolk vigorously until it is slightly thickened.
Add lemon juice to the yolk and whisk it in, then add cold butter and do the same. The pan should be hot enough to gently melt the butter.
Tips and Tricks
- If your sauce gets too thick you can dribble in a small amount of water to thin it out.
- When poaching eggs, swirling the water gently prior to dropping in the eggs helps prevent the whites from feathering.
What to serve with it
If you really want a killer breakfast, make my bacon and eggs Benedict with my homemade shredded hash browns recipe, or sweet potato hash browns! The Hollandaise sauce and runny egg yolk will taste amazing when sopped up by crisp, crunchy, fried hash brown shreds!
Alternatively, if you like meatier cubed potatoes better, try my easy breakfast potatoes or southern fried potatoes. Any of these are really the perfect companion for this meal!
FAQs
Crack the eggshell without spilling the inner contents. Gently break it in half so the cracked portion of the shell faces up and acts like a bowl holding the whites and yolk. Finally, pass the yolk back and forth from one shell half to the other, letting the egg white spill out with each pass.
Like the origins of most food, the story of eggs Benedict isn't entirely clear. The earliest claim to fame is from the Delmonico's restaurant in New York City which is said to have put it on their menu in 1860.
Canadian bacon or sliced ham are the most popular additions to an egg Benedict, however, bacon is a popular non-traditional choice as well.
More breakfast ideas
Bacon and Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
- 2 English Muffins toasted
- 4 strips bacon cooked and halved
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- salt
Hollandaise Sauce
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
- 6 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Toast muffins and fry bacon until crisp.
- Heat water in saucepan until simmering, add salt and vinegar.
- Gently drop the eggs in the water.*
- Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit and cook for 5 minutes, untouched.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove each egg and place on top of English Muffin half and 2 bacon halves.
Hollandaise Sauce
- Add egg yolks to a pan on very low heat, and whisk vigorously until they thicken slightly.
- Tip: The pan should be warm enough to heat the yolk, but not hot enough to cook it. Cooking the yolk will cause the sauce to curdle.
- Add lemon juice to taste.
- Add cold butter and whisk. The pan should have enough heat to melt the butter and incorporate it into the sauce.
- Serve sauce generously over English Muffin halves topped with two halves of bacon and one poached egg.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com on August 5, 2015.
Thalia @ butter and brioche
I love a classic eggs benedict and definitely am inspired to make one after seeing this recipe. I love how you used english muffins as the base too, they are my favourite things ever!