Classic Eggs Benedict

Saveur (October 2008)

 

We certainly weren't in the market for another food magazine, but a couple months ago, when we received an offer for a low-cost subscription to Saveur, we couldn't resist.

And with the October issue devoted entirely to breakfast dishes, we're glad we didn't!

We love to eat breakfast.

During the work week, we do a quick breakfast -- most often quick cooking oats, protein shakes or Kashi cereal -- but on the weekends, one of our favorite things to do is to make a nice big breakfast. We like to make biscuits or pancakes or slow scramble eggs with white pepper.  And we live for bacon and sausage.  (You can take the boys out of the South . . .)

Anyway, the breakfast issue of Saveur is glorious -- page after page of beautiful eggs, pastries and potato dishes.  We'd like to cook every one of them, especially Homemade Breakfast Sausage (!) and Blueberry Pancakes. 

For our first Saveur dish, we opted for Classic Eggs Benedict.  We sometimes order Eggs Benedict when dining out, but we'd never made it at home.  Honestly, it falls pretty low on our breakfast totem poles, somewhere below omelets but way above scrapple.  

But, as the title says, it's a classic breakfast dish and we figured we might as well make it once. 

The bulk of making eggs Benedict is simple -- toasting English muffins, browning Canadian bacon, and making a hollandaise in a blender or a food processor. 

The more difficult task -- or maybe just the more nervewracking one -- is poaching eggs. 

We'd never poached an egg before, and we were surprised to read that the magazine suggests adding vinegar to the boiling water (the ratio is 2 cups vinegar for 16 cups of water). According the recipe, the vinegar helps the eggs "form into perfect spheres." 

We cracked our first egg into a ramekin, and the then quickly dropped it into the boiling water.  The egg white streaked slightly in the water, but for the most part stayed together.  After three minutes, we removed the egg from the water and placed it on a paper towel-lined plate.  We were braver with the subsequent eggs, poaching several at a time in the same pot. 

The finished dish looked great -- just like the magazine and much like eggs Benedict that we would order at a restaurant. 

The taste, though, was nothing special.  The hollandaise was bland and unexciting, even though we had used fresh eggs from the farmers market.

So we're back to square one with eggs Benedict.  Though we admire its breakfasty beauty, we don't care to make it again anytime soon.

Are we missing something?  Any secrets you want to share?

Classic Eggs Benedict
Saveur (October 2008)
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(This photo:  Saveur)

SERVES 4

The secret to success with this dish is the quality of its parts. Adding a generous amount of vinegar to the poaching liquid—a restaurant trick—helps the eggs form into perfect spheres, and making the hollandaise in a blender whips the sauce into a smooth, emulsified state, so it isn't as likely to separate as the version made by hand with a whisk.

2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
8 slices Canadian bacon
3 egg yolks
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1⁄4 tsp. Tabasco
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
8 eggs, cracked into separate small bowls
4 English muffins, pulled apart by hand and toasted
Paprika or cayenne, for garnish

1. Bring 16 cups water to a boil in a tall 6-quart saucepan over high heat. Add vinegar and 2 tsp. salt, lower heat to medium, and bring to a simmer.

2. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat; add bacon; cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

3. Combine yolks, lemon juice, 4 tsp. warm water, Tabasco, and remaining salt in a blender; turn to medium speed and slowly drizzle in butter to make the hollandaise. Transfer to a bowl; set aside, covered.

4. Swirl simmering water with a spoon to create a whirlpool. Carefully slide each egg into water; poach until just firm, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a paper towel-lined plate. Divide muffin halves between 4 plates; top each half with 1 slice of bacon and 1 egg. Spoon 2–3 tbsp. sauce over each egg. Sprinkle with paprika or cayenne.

Comments

[Biz319]

I love that magazine - turns out I am a magazine whore!

I'll try this recipe - I've tried to make hollandaise sauce before, but with mediocre results.

Thanks!

[Hélène]

I love your blog. I'm so like you guys with a big pile of Magazines & I don't cook anything from them. But now I feel inspiration from you guys and this has to change. I will force myself to cook one recipe from each issue. Now you're on my Google Reader so I will not be missing any updates. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Sara]

This looks great, I haven't made any of the recipes from this issue yet.

[Kimberly]

Yummy! I found your recipe from foodgawker while looking for an Eggs Benedict recipe. I'm a big fan of poached eggs and bought a new foodie toy last week that makes the process so easy! They are silicone egg poachers. http://tinyurl.com/4n9rdp They works great!

I can't wait to try your EB recipe on Sunday morning.

[maggie]

I'm not a huge fan of eggs benedict (hollandaise sort of creeps me out) but I LOVE poached eggs and definitely don't have the hang of making them...good work!

[Michael]

Eggs benni is my go to brekkie on Sunday. Some I've made hundreds of them, and for me -- the prepackaged hollandaise beats home made stuff every time. It tastes better (probably because I'm not a professional chef), won't break like a regular hollandaise sauce and is probably 1/4 of the cholesterol of the real deal. Substitute bacon fried real crispy or top sirloin steak (medium rare and cut thin on the bias) top with a good cajun seasoning, Now you got some serious brekkie!

Cheers!

[Tom N]

Hi guys,

Eggs Benedict is rich but not overly flavorful, it's really about the contrasting textures as well as the taste. These days, I think we're used to having zippier food than in the past, so EB seems a little bland in comparison. Having said that, though, there are some things you can do: toast and butter the muffins, sear the Canadian bacon to give it a deeper flavor, and mix some chopped chives or tarragon into the finished Hollandaise.

[Meredith]

Eggs Benedict isn't something I have that often but I'm a huge fan of poached eggs.

I do it a minimalist way that works well: boil water, crack eggs into a bowl, slide bowl of eggs into water and reduce temp a bit so it's not over-boiling (closer to JUST boiling), pull out eggs with a slotted spoon after 3 min. I don't bother with vinegar because it's just breakfast so I don't care if the whites fray.

I like mine on a nice piece of toast spread with butter, then top the egg with salt and pepper. Voila, breakfast. Add half a grapefruit on the side and a cup of coffee, I'm a happy camper.

[Marie]

My recommendation, gentlemen, is to remove 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and replace with 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard. Not only is Dijon a great emulsifier (in other recipes) but it adds the needed "gusto" to your hollandaise. Next time (and I hope you DO give eggs benedict another try), go with this zestier version of the sauce. a demain

[Zach @ The Bitten Word]

Thanks all for your suggestions.

Tom N and Marie -- I think your ideas about punching up the hollandaise are terrific! That would really give this dish the extra oomph it needs.

And Michael -- your suggestion about bacon or steak (!) sounds amazing. I'm not a huge Canadian bacon fan anyway.

[Karyn]

Nice post! Like many posters above, I love poached eggs but can take or leave the hollandaise breakfast dishes. I love to eat poached eggs in the spring on grilled asparagus with lots of black pepper and big curls of parmesan cheese. In the winter, I like to eat them on corn tortillas with spicy salsa.

[Holly]

Saveur is my favorite food magazine. Bon Appetite and Gourmet have so many ads you can't find the recipes. I have subscribed since the beginning of the magazine. Alternatively, my mother always took Gourmet, so I too felt obligated to to have it in my house, never used it to cook, but loved the travel section.

[Molly S.]

FusionBrand's PoachPods -- they're available through Amazon -- make perfect poached eggs. I love mine, and no one is paying me to endorse them.

http://www.amazon.com/Fusionbrands-Poach-Pods-Set-Green/dp/B000P6FD3I

[Margie Wolson]

The Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, MD, has an annual open house & stallion showing (they breed thoroughbred racehorses) and host a wonderful catered buffet.

Several years ago it was breakfast/brunch themed and, along with traditional eggs benedict, they offered artichoke bottoms and creamed spinach. Replace the muffin with the artichoke, add a spoonful of the spinach, nestle the poached egg on the resulting nest and top with hollandaise. Add some asparagus to the plate and a scoop of crab casserole and you were in heaven.

More recent parties have gone lunch barbecue and Maryland seafood and, although still excellent, never brought the bliss of that fabulous plate.