EGGS BENEDICT

    
poached eggs
English muffins (toast/hash browns/baked potato)
canadian bacon/ham
hollandaise sauce 

hollandaise sauce

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon lemon juice (or key lime juice for Key West style)

1/2 stick frozen butter, cut into 4 tablespoons

1/8 teaspoon salt

dash of smoked paprika and pepper

whisk egg yolks, water and lemon juice in a sauce pan, put over low/medium heat until you see small bubbles forming around the edges of the pan.  

Add 1 pat of butter at a time whisking continuously until all butter is melted in the sauce, continue cooking on low heat until sauce is thick and creamy almost like cake batter.  Take off heat and stir in salt, paprika and pepper.

TIP:  If your heat is too high you will scramble the eggs and ruin the sauce, if your heat is too low or you don't cook long enough your sauce will be runny.

This made enough hollandaise for about 4 eggs benedict, if you're making more or would like some leftover you can easily double the recipe.

Sauce before thickening 

On medium heat, fry your canadian bacon or ham on both sides until browned.
Lightly toast your English muffins - sometimes we make eggs Benedict with toast, hash browns, baked potatoes or even pizza!

microwaved poached eggs
Pour 1/2 cup water into a glass or ceramic bowl.  
Crack the egg and gently pour it into the water, cover the bowl with saran wrap.
Cook in the microwave on high for about 53 seconds.  Inspect your egg to make sure all the egg white is cooked (if it's still clear it's not cooked, if it's all white it's good), fish the egg out with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain.
TIP:  You will need to try this a couple times to find out the perfect time to get your whites cooked and keep it so your yolk is still runny.  If you make another egg in the same water right away you may need it to be a few seconds less since you're putting the egg in warm water already or you can use fresh water each time.

Poached egg draining on a paper towel 

Assemble:
Place two english muffins halves down on your plate, place canadian bacon on top of muffins, your egg and then spoon hollandaise sauce over it.

*Traditional eggs Benedict is served with poached eggs.  I hate poaching eggs.  I can do it but it always ends up taking too long and becoming stressful.  I tried the trick of adding vinegar to the water and I could taste it so strong in the eggs, I didn't like it.  I use to poach my eggs in the microwave as shown above, it's quick and easy but you've got to figure out your perfect time for your microwaves power.  I've since switched to just making sunny side up eggs now.  I find them to be a lot more predictable, faster and easier.  My main goal is to make sure we've got cooked egg white with a rich and buttery runny yolk center which I can ensure much better by making a sunny side up egg and I prefer the shape so it doesn't roll around.

sunny side up eggs

Over medium low heat fry eggs in a pan with the lid on until whites are starting to set up.  Add about a tablespoon of water in the pan per egg and replace the lid until the whites are cooked through but the yolk is still runny.