Not to play favourites, but this eggs benedict with a homemade hollandaise sauce will be the best breakfast you will ever make!
Let me preface this by saying, I used to find the idea of poaching an egg and making hollandaise sauce from scratch extremely intimidating. Take it one step further and throw the two together into the one recipe and I would not be touching it with a ten foot pole! While there is an art to cooking both of these, once you have given yourself a little time to master the skill you will find that they aren’t as scary as you once thought they were and you will be whipping up eggs benedict every weekend. If you want to impress any guest, this is the recipe to turn to!
How to make hollandaise sauce
The taste of a homemade hollandaise sauce is something you cannot compare with what you buy in store or order at a cafe. My hollandaise sauce is rich, creamy and extremely buttery thanks to the best in the butter business, Westgold. Once you go homemade, you will not be going back! There are a few things you need to know when making the perfect hollandaise sauce.
Firstly, you need good quality ingredients from the eggs to the butter. Secondly, and this may be the most important tip, very slowly add your butter to the egg yolk mixture to prevent the sauce from curdling. Thirdly, to achieve the right consistency, whisk your sauce on the heat to thicken it or off the heat for a thinner sauce. I like to bring a pot of water to the boil, take it off the heat and make my sauce from the heat and steam of the boiling hot water. I find there is no need to keep your water at a consistent boil. Finish off your sauce by flavouring it with a big pinch of salt and squeeze of lemon.
Can I store leftover hollandaise sauce?
I can guarantee you won’t have any leftovers of this delicious sauce but in the rare instance that you do, you can absolutely store it! I like to keep mine in a sterilised airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What do I do if my sauce curdles or breaks?
A curdled hollandaise sauce is not the end of the world as we can fix it. Add in a tablespoon of boiling hot water and whisk it through. This should bring the sauce back to a smooth consistency. Be careful to not do this too many times as it will dilute the flavour of the sauce.
What do I do if my sauce is not thick enough?
This means the hot water you were mixing your sauce over was not hot enough. Put your sauce over boiling hot water and continue to whisk while it thickens up.
How to poach an egg
Now that we have covered the sauce, let me share with you all my secrets for poaching the perfect egg. You know which type of egg I’m talking about… that one that is firm on the outside and oozes out the most perfectly orange yolk when your knife cuts into it. Yes, that’s the one! My biggest trick is to crack your egg into a fine mesh strainer as this will remove all of the loose egg whites from the egg. It’s important these are removed as they will separate from the egg when poaching it and create a frothy mess in your pot. Bring your pot of water to a boil and then immediately turn the heat down so it is at a slight simmer.
I will let you in on a little secret, creating a whirlpool when poaching an egg is purely for aesethic reasons and can be entirely skipped if you prefer! If you do decide to create a whirlpool, a whisk will be your best friend. Poach your egg for two minutes and when it’s ready, scoop it out and place it onto a piece of absorbent paper to drain the excess water off it. I also like to use fridge cold eggs. It’s important to mention this as it will alter your cook time.
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Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
Hollandaise Sauce
- 250 g Westgold Salted Butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- pinch of salt
Eggs Benedict
- 400 g smoked salmon or shaved ham
- 4 eggs cold from the fridge
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 English muffins
- Chives finely sliced
- black pepper
Instructions
Hollandaise Sauce
- On a low - medium heat in a small pot, preferably with a lip, melt the butter. Do not let the butter brown.
- Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and place the egg yolks into a large bowl with the vinegar and water. Whisk until frothy and doubled in size. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling hot water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water, and drizzle the butter in a very slow and steady stream. Add the butter in tablespoon increments and whisk vigorously in between each pour to fully incorporate the butter. If your sauce is getting too thick, take the bowl off the heat or if it needs to slightly thicken leave it on the heat.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk through the lemon juice and salt
Eggs Benedict
- Bring a pot of boiling hot water to the boil then reduce the heat to low so the water is at a simmer.
- While waiting for the water to boil, crack an egg into a fine mesh strainer to remove the loose egg whites.
- Stir the vinegar into the water and create a whirlpool by using a whisk. Drop the egg into the centre of the whirlpool and cook for 2 minutes. If you are cooking multiple eggs at the same time, slightly push the first egg to the side and gently create a whirlpool for the second egg to be dropped into.
- Scoop the egg out and place onto a piece of absorbent paper to drain the excess water.
- Assemble your egg benedict by toasting the english muffins and topping with slices of smoked salmon or shaved ham, followed by the poached egg and hollandaise sauce. Finish off with a sprinkling of freshly cracked pepper and fresh chives.
the sauce was to buttery and it wouldn’t thicken to the extent of what yours did so it didn’t taste nice
If the sauce won’t thicken it means it needs a little more heat. Did you whisk it over boiling hot water?