Classic Eggs Benedict

No one knows for sure where the name “Eggs Benedict” came from, but most accounts trace this dish’s invention to Delmonico’s, an iconic Gilded Age restaurant in New York City. It has since become an American brunch classic, and no wonder. The combination of poached eggs, creamy hollandaise, and Canadian bacon on a toasted English muffin manages to be elegant and comforting at the same time.

2 cups distilled white vinegar

2½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 tbsp. canola oil

8 slices Canadian bacon

3 egg yolks

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp. Tabasco

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

8 eggs, cracked into separate small bowls

4 English muffins, split and lightly toasted Paprika or cayenne pepper, for garnish

Serves 4

1. Bring 16 cups of water to a boil in a tall 6-qt. saucepan over high heat. Add the vinegar and 2 tsp. salt, lower heat to medium, and bring to a simmer.

2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.

3. Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, Tabasco, 4 tsp. warm water, and the remaining salt in a blender. Blend at medium speed while slowly drizzling in the melted butter to make the hollandaise. Transfer to a bowl, cover with foil, and set aside.

4. Swirl the simmering vinegar water with a spoon to create a whirlpool. Carefully slide each egg into the water and poach until just firm, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a paper towel–lined plate.

5. Divide the toasted muffin halves between 4 plates and top each half with 1 slice of the reserved bacon and 1 poached egg. Spoon about 3 tbsp. hollandaise over each egg, sprinkle with paprika or cayenne, and serve.

Perfect Poaching

Many years ago, when I was a private chef, I was asked one morning to prepare eggs Benedict for breakfast. No problem, I thought. But when I dropped the first egg into the simmering water, it spread out into an amorphous mess. Same thing on the next try. What was I doing wrong? I called my friend Ted MacLeod, an expert brunch cook. “The secret to poaching eggs,” Ted told me, “is in the amount of vinegar you use. The right amount coaxes them into firmness.” I tried his method—a half cup of white distilled vinegar and a half teaspoon of salt in four cups of water—and, sure enough, my poached eggs came out beautifully. Months afterward, though, I ran into another problem. I was using a skillet to poach eggs; when I dropped the eggs into the water they flattened into dispiriting disks. Thinking that the outcome might have something to do with the water’s depth, I switched to a tall pot, and—voilà!—the eggs gracefully formed into appealing orbs. Another egg-poaching tip I picked up along the way: cracking each egg into a small bowl or teacup before pouring it into the simmering water helps the eggs maintain a more compact shape.

—Todd Coleman