Eggs Benedict with Blender Hollandaise

Eggs Benedict is a rich delectable dish. It is typically eaten for brunch or breakfast. I have made creating this difficult dish easier with a few specific steps. This dish is decadent, so only make it for special occasions!

Eggs Benedict is a dish that consists of poached eggs, ham or bacon, English muffins, and Hollandaise sauce. One theory says it was invented in the 1860s at Delmonico’s Restaurant in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Mrs. LeGrand Benedict was a regular patron for the restaurant and one day she could find nothing to her liking on the menu. She discussed the matter with Delmonico’s chef, Chef Charles Ranhofer, and he came up with the idea for Eggs Benedict (originally called Eggs a ‘la Benedick). Another theory says that the dish was invented at the Waldorf Hotel, also in Manhattan. It was said that, in 1894, a Wall Street broker named Lemuel Benedict had come into the Waldorf Hotel after a night of drinking. To remedy his hangover, he ordered poached eggs with Canadian bacon, toast, and Hollandaise sauce. The maître d, Oscar Tschirsky, thought the dish would be very tasty and put the dish on the restaurant’s menu, only he substituted the toast for the now signature English muffin. There could a blending of information with both stories, just from the fact that Oscar Tschirsky also worked at Delmonico’s around the time their Eggs Benedict dish would have been popular.

Like most people, I was apprehensive to create Eggs Benedict at home because it includes two of the most difficult concepts to master for any cook; poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce. Eggs are delicate and poaching them is a wonderful, grease-free way to prepare them, but it can be a daunting process for beginners. How I managed to get over poaching peril was to first crack the eggs into a bowl instead of into the pan directly. Many trials were ruined because a yolk broke when cracked into the poaching liquid. The second part of making poaching easier was adding vinegar. The vinegar makes the water more acidic which helps the egg white coagulate more efficiently.

Now, you wonder how did I get over the difficulty that is Hollandaise sauce? The answer is using a blender. Traditionally, Hollandaise is created by adding egg yolks and lemon juice to a bowl then rapidly whisking the mixture over a pot of simmering water. This process is tiring and arduous and if the eggs get too hot the sauce is ruined because the eggs have scrambled. Then I discovered that Hollandaise sauce can easily be made in a blender. The blender takes away all the incessant whisking and the whole sauce cooks in one appliance.

After all the trial and error, and experimentation I hope that making Eggs Benedict is a breeze for you when you use my recipe. Please enjoy this recipe with friends and family!

Eggs Benedict Recipe

Yields 2 servings

Specialty Tool: Slotted spoon

Prep Time: 4 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Drink Pairing Suggestion: Mimosa Cocktail or Champagne

Ingredients

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

4 pieces of Canadian bacon, ham, or regular bacon, pan-fried to preference

2 English muffins, cut in half and toasted

Blender Hollandaise Sauce (recipe below)

Garnish: Fresh chives

Directions

Place Canadian bacon onto the toasted English muffin halves. Set aside.

Fill a sauté pan about half way with water. Bring the water to a simmer over medium to medium high heat.

Add the vinegar to the pan.

Carefully crack the eggs into the pan. (I like to crack them into a separate bowl first before placing them into the water. Thus a broken yolk will not ruin the whole batch.)

Let the eggs cook in the simmering water for about 4 minutes.

Carefully remove the eggs with a slotted spoon.

Place the poached eggs on the Canadian bacon covered English muffins.

Pour hollandaise sauce over the poached eggs*.

Garnish the eggs with chives.

Serve immediately.

Eat with a side of Potatoes O’Brien.

Blender Hollandaise Recipe*

Yields 2-3 servings

Specialty Tool: Blender

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Pinch of paprika

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

While the eggs are poaching create the hollandaise sauce.

Pour the egg yolks, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, and paprika into the blender. Blend on low for 20 to 30 seconds.

Melt butter in a small saucepan.

Remove the clear insert on the lid of the blender.

Slowly pour the melted butter into the blender egg yolk mixture while the blender runs on low speed. Blend for 30 seconds.

Use immediately. Sauce will be thick.

*Consuming raw or undercooked eggs may increase risk of foodborne illness.

For an added kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the hollandaise sauce and serve the Eggs Benedict with a dash of hot sauce.

Do not limit this dish for only the morning. Eggs Benedict can also be great for dinner! I suggest substituting the Canadian bacon for some poached or baked salmon.

DID YOU MAKE THIS DISH?

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