Eggs Benedict
Poached eggs on a toasted muffin with ham under a glossy hollandaise sauce.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cook/bake time
- 20 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Calories
- 1131 kcal
- Servings
- 2
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cooking & baking
- 20 min
Poached eggs on a toasted muffin with ham under a glossy hollandaise sauce. The hollandaise is whisked over a water bath so the egg yolks bind instead of scrambling, and it must never get too hot. The classic American brunch dish that perfectly balances effort and impact.
Why this works
Hollandaise is a warm emulsion. The lecithin in the egg yolks keeps the butterfat droplets suspended in the aqueous phase. For this, the egg yolks need heat to thicken slightly, but above about 70 °C they coagulate and the emulsion breaks into scrambled eggs and liquid butter. The water bath maintains exactly this narrow window, and the hand test is more precise than any feeling. What is too hot for the back of your hand is also too hot for the egg yolks.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Prepare the vinegar reduction
Briefly boil the white wine vinegar and water in a small saucepan and let the mixture cool slightly. This reduction gives the hollandaise the necessary acidity and stability. Pure lemon alone is not enough to reliably support the emulsion.
- 2
Whisk the hollandaise
Mix the egg yolks and the vinegar reduction in a metal bowl and place it over a water bath where the water is only simmering and does not touch the bowl. Whisk the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes until it becomes light, airy, and significantly thicker, and traces of the whisk remain visible briefly.
- 3
Pour in the butter
Remove the bowl from the water bath and pour in the lukewarm melted butter in a very thin stream while whisking constantly. Pouring too fast will break the emulsion. Season with lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper, and keep the sauce lukewarm, never hot.
- 4
Poach the eggs
Bring the water with vinegar to a simmer. It should bubble gently and not boil vigorously. Stir a gentle whirlpool, let the eggs slide in individually from a cup, and poach them for 3 minutes until the egg whites are firm and the yolks are liquid. Take them out with a slotted spoon and briefly dab them dry.
- 5
Assemble
Toast the muffin halves until golden brown and briefly fry the ham. Place a slice of ham and a poached egg on each half and generously coat everything with the hollandaise. Sprinkle chives and a little cayenne pepper on top and serve immediately before the sauce cools down.
Our best tips
- The hollandaise must never get too hot. As soon as the bowl is uncomfortably hot on the back of your hand, briefly remove it from the water bath.
- Let the butter run in lukewarm and very slowly. This is the critical moment of the emulsion.
- Pre-poach the eggs and store them in ice water, then you only need to warm them up when serving.
Tasty variations
Eggs Florentine
Use steamed spinach instead of ham. This is the classic vegetarian variation.
Eggs Royale
With smoked salmon instead of ham, plus a little dill in the hollandaise.
What is left over?
This recipe only uses the yolks. The whites keep for three days in the fridge and freeze well – nobody has to throw them out.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 1131 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 33 g |
| Carbohydrates | 30 g |
| – of which sugar | 4 g |
| Fat | 97 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
Where the 1,131 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
My hollandaise has curdled, what should I do?
Whisk a fresh egg yolk with a teaspoon of water in a clean bowl and stir in the curdled sauce drop by drop. This usually saves it.
Can I prepare the hollandaise in advance?
Only to a limited extent. It keeps lukewarm for about 30 minutes in a thermos flask. If chilled and reheated, it almost always separates.
What if I can't find English muffins?
Toasted brioche or crusty white bread work well. A firm base that can carry the sauce and egg is important.
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