Eggs Benedict

Split the English muffins and separate the portions of Canadian bacon. Crack each egg for poaching into a small cup so it can be slipped into the water without breaking the yolk. Have everything ready before starting the hollandaise; from that point onward, the dish works best as one continuous sequence.

Melt the butter over low heat without letting it brown. Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne in a bowl over very gently steaming water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water, and whisk for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is pale, thick, and briefly holds the marks of the whisk. Remove the bowl from the steam and drizzle in the warm butter in a thin stream, whisking continuously, until the hollandaise is smooth, glossy, and falls from a spoon in a thick ribbon. Keep it over the now-off pot of warm water while you finish the dish.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Toast the English muffins cut-side down for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and crisp on the surface while still tender inside; remove them. In the same skillet, heat the Canadian bacon for 45 to 60 seconds per side, until hot with lightly browned edges. Place one portion of Canadian bacon on each muffin half.

Heat the water with the vinegar to the barest simmer: small bubbles should appear at the bottom, never a violent boil. Gently slip in the eggs and cook for 3 to 3½ minutes, until the whites are fully set around the eggs while the yolks remain soft and flowing. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and let it drain for a few seconds so it does not soak the muffin.

Place a poached egg over each muffin and Canadian bacon portion, then immediately spoon over the warm hollandaise, letting it flow down the sides without burying the entire muffin. Serve at once. The right result is toasted muffin, hot Canadian bacon, set white, a yolk that flows when cut, and smooth hollandaise that blends into that yolk without splitting. That is Eggs Benedict; it needs no extra decoration to work. 🍳