Classic Eggs Benedict
Posted on August 4, 2011 by Leslie Blythe No comments
This scares me!
I saw an episode of MasterChef hosted by Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich. The contestants were each given a basket of ingredients and told to make Eggs Benedict in 30 minutes. This challenge would send me around the bend. I wouldn’t have made it to the show, but if I had, I would have been sent home immediately. I can’t cook while feeling fear. Aside from the fact, that I hate runny yolks!!! I know, I’m declassé, tan pis!
There is a lot of controversy surrounding who actually invented Eggs Benedict. Here are two stories….
In an interview in the The New Yorker magazine in 1942, Lemuel Benedict, a retired Wall Street stock broker, said that he had wandered into the Waldorf Hotel in 1894 and, hoping to find a cure for his morning hangover, ordered “buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon and a hooker of hollandaise.” Oscar Tschirky, the maître d’hôtel, was so impressed with the dish that he put it on the breakfast and luncheon menus but substituted ham and a toasted English muffin for the bacon and toast.
Craig Claiborne writes in The New York Times Magazine that Edward P. Montgomery wrote him a letter to say that eggs Benedict originated with Commodore E.C. Benedict.
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
2½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 Tbs vegetable oil
8 slices Canadian bacon
3 egg yolks
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1⁄4 tsp Tabasco
8 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
8 eggs, cracked into separate small bowls
4 English muffins, pulled apart by hand and toasted
Paprika or cayenne, for garnish
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.
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.
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.
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 Tbs sauce over each egg. Sprinkle with paprika or cayenne.
