6 Steps to Perfect Eggs Benedict - Demystifying Hollandaise Sauce

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Okay, listen and listen carefully, I'm going to give you some tips for making the perfect hollandaise sauce.  Before I list them, I'm going to tell you the why which,  if you are like me, will help you remember all these steps without having to memorize them.  In hollandaise sauce, the butter cooks the eggs, thus, give them a head start by leaving them out of the refrigerator until they come to room temperature!  Also, make sure you bring the butter to a bubbling boil for it is the cooking agent for the eggs.

Servings 2

Ingredients

7 eggs (4 whole, 3 yolks)
1 8 oz. bar of butter
1 TB fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. cayenne
black pepper
salt
2 English Muffins split
4 slices Canadian Bacon

Procedure

Lay out all your ingredients.  Split the muffins and set them in the toaster oven ready to cook.  Brown the Canadian bacon in tsp of butter and set aside.  Butter an egg poacher and crack 4 eggs into it.  Make the hollandaise sauce.

Hollandaise Sauce

Take the eggs out of fridge about 4 hrs. before you cook them.  Separate 3 yolks from white.  Add yolks to blender.  Melt 1 bar of butter in a skillet, add about 1/4 tsp cayenne, salt and pepper and cook until bubbly on medium heat.  When the butter is about ready to come to a boil, start your blender on high and blend the egg yolks for at least 30 seconds.  Slowly pour the bubbling butter into the eggs in a steady drip  and squeeze 1 TB of the lemon juice. Stop! you are done!!! Pour into a glass bowl and keep warm on top of the stove. Taste it, if it needs more salt,  pepper or lemon juice, add and stir with a spoon.

Start the muffins and cook the eggs.  Do not poach past 4 minutes.  Eggs continue to cook after you take them out and the hot hollandaise sauce will help the process along.

When the muffins are done (do not overtoast), lay two halves on a plate, cover with the Canadian bacon slices and the poached eggs.  Pour Hollandaisse sauce over the top and eat immediately

So remember...

1. Take eggs out of refrigerator so they have time to come to room temperature
2. Have all your ingredients ready to go BEFORE you start the recipe!
3. Make sure you bring the butter to a bubbling boil
4. Blend the yolks on high for at least 30 seconds before you start adding the melted butter
5. Underpoach your eggs so you don't end up with hard boiled eggs
6. Be ready to sit down at the table the minute those eggs come out of the pan!

Oh yes, and don't forget the Bloody Marys!