Classic Eggs Benedict

The thing about eggs Benedict is that it's comfort food. As such, it's as much about the textures as it is the flavors. You don't want the English muffin to be too crispy, because you should be able to cut into it with a knife without it cracking or crumbling. The egg white should be firm, but open up to revel runny yellow yolks. And the hollandaise is rich, yet zippy from fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Eating eggs Benedict should decadent, but also feel like you're biting into a soft, fluffy cloud.

The recipe below will walk you through the whole process, from how to make a creamy hollandaise to the proper egg poaching technique that you can easily get down in no time. If feeling ambitious, you can even make your own English muffins.

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What Is Eggs Benedict?

As the story goes, eggs Benedict was invented by chef Charles Ranhofer of New York City's iconic Delmonico's steakhouse in the 1860s. He came up with the now iconic dish for a regular customer whose name was—you guessed it—Mrs. Benedict. He later published a version of the recipe in his cookbook "The Epicurean" and, as they say, the rest was history.

A classic version of eggs Benedict calls for English muffins, Canadian bacon and poached eggs, all topped with a hollandaise sauce, but as anyone who regularly goes out to brunch knows, many versions of this dish have popped up over the years. Some will use regular bacon, others call for smoked salmon.

Tips for Poaching Eggs Without Fear

Poaching eggs is one of those culinary challenges that even the most seasoned home cooks will avoid. But knowing the right technique and giving it plenty of practice will help you get to poached egg perfection. Here are a few keys to poaching success:

• The fresher the eggs, the better.
• Adding vinegar to the water helps the whites set more quickly.
• Keep the water at a bare simmer, which will cook the eggs gently.
• Cracking each egg individually into a little ramekin or bowl will help make sure the egg is properly cracked and help guide it into the pot. If you're feeding a crowd and want to be efficient, you'll need eight ramekins or bowls.
• Don't keep the eggs in there for too long! They quickly go from nice and runny to set.
  
  

How to Rescue a Broken Hollandaise

A classic French sauce, hollandaise is a rich, buttery emulsion made from warm butter, egg yolks and fresh lemon juice. It's surprisingly simple to make at home using a blender, but may break—which means the butter separates—for a number of reasons. To prevent that from happening, here's what you can do:

• Make sure the melted butter isn't too hot.
• If you notice breaking during the blending process, pause on adding the butter and let the sauce blend for a bit.
• Add another egg yolk or a spoonful of water.
• Move the broken hollandaise to a double boiler and reheat gently while whisking.