There is nothing more decadent than having a special brunch featuring Eggs Benedict. They are indulgent and rich. Below is the basic recipe, but read further down for unique suggestions I've tried and that my followers have shared.
The serving suggestion in the recipe is for two eggs benedicts per person. You can easily increase the numbers based on how many you have for brunch. If you are having other things, you may want to serve only one per person.
Ingredients:
1 English Muffin per person
2 Eggs per person
2 slices of Canadian Bacon
My Hollandaise Recipe will serve 2-4 people depending on how much you use.
Finely minced Green Onion for garnish
Method:
Mince the green part of the onion and set it aside in a small bowl. You only need a small amount of green onion to top each serving.
Split the English Muffins and place them in a warm oven.
Fill a shallow pan with water and begin heating to a simmer for the eggs. Depending on the size of the group, you might you a large sautee pan for this to poach more eggs at the same time.
Note: Simmering means keeping the water right below the boil. You will see small bubbles at the bottom of the pan, and some will be breaking the surface, but the water should not boil.
Begin the Hollandaise Sauce (see recipe here)
Once the Hollandaise sauce is finished, keep it warm over very low heat or in a warmed thermos.
Begin poaching eggs. Poach for no more than 4 minutes.
Poaching eggs is simple. If you haven't done it before, check out the step-by-step instructions on How to Poach an Egg.
While eggs are poaching, warm Canadian Bacon in the microwave.
Assemble Eggs Benedict:
English Muffin
Canadian Bacon
Poached Egg
Hollandaise Sauce
You can top your Eggs Benedict with green onions as in the picture, minced chives, or even a small amount of minced tarragon.
Egg Benedict Variations:
Substitute bacon for the Canadian bacon for a smoky twist. Consider topping with smokes paprika to amp up the smokiness.
If bacon isn't your thing, try prosciutto. Oh my, so good.
Want something really special? Consider substituting the Canadian bacon with crabmeat or lobster. This could make someone special very happy.
Add mushrooms and spinach between the Canadian bacon and the poached egg. Don't like mushrooms, what about sauteed spinach and onion?
Another good eggs benedict addition is asparagus. Blanch it before in salted water and serve under or over the poached egg. Don't want to mess up your masterpiece, serve it alongside with more Hollandaise.
Submitted by member Bettsie Brace: Try Atlantic Smoked Salmon instead of Canadian bacon. Delicious! Here's a bit of trivia - this is called Eggs Royale. Who knew?
For an even heartier version, what about serving the eggs benedict on crispy polenta circles? You can get logs of polenta in the store. Slice them and brown them before you start the rest of the ingredients. Then use them instead of the English muffin.
Another hearty (really hearty) version is to substitute corned beef hash for the Canadian bacon. You probably only need one of those to fill you up on a chilly winter morning.