Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce

Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce is the ultimate celebration breakfast. Not to mention the Hollandaise Sauce, affectionately known in our home as “Holiday” sauce, is amazing on Roasted Asparagus, as a dip for artichokes, or as an alternative sauce for dipping Roasted Brussels sprouts.

Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise is a special treat in our home. Typically, I serve it for special occasions like Mother’s Day or my birthday. Truthfully, there is just not enough sauce in the restaurants to satisfy my sauce addiction. Even when I ask for extra sauce on the side, it just doesn’t cut it. Not to mention the fact that it usually severely lacks flavor. So, I have learned to perfect this bad boy at home.

Actually, this recipe is all about the Hollandaise Sauce. My kids grew up with this breakfast and thought I was saying Holiday Sauce (because it was only made on special occasions) so the name stuck. Because I don’t use the typical Canadian bacon and I have tweaked the sauce, we also changed the name to Beneblet (Benedict + Bramblet= Beneblet). Now I serve Eggs Beneblet with delicious Holiday Sauce.

Hollandaise Sauce…One of the 5 French Mother Sauces Every Cook Needs to Know

If you know me, you know that sauces are one of my favorite things. Ultimately, the right sauce can totally take your ordinary and make it extraordinary. Now I am not saying I have mastered the 5 French Mother Sauces: Béchamel, Velouté, Espangnole, tomato sauce, and Hollandaise. Actually, I would also have to add Hot Fudge sauce, Caramel sauce, and Lemon Curd in there to represent a few all-time favorite sweet sauces as well. But knowing how to make a few great sauces is worth learning how to do well. Clearly, if you know how to make a good sauce you can get more creative in the kitchen. It doesn’t take a lot of extra time to make an amazing sauce and the end product will give you that boost of confidence to say, “I did that!”

A Recipe Better Made At Home

Unfortunately, my taste buds have been well-trained to desire clean food that tastes amazing. This means that going out to dinner is not as fun as it used to be. Not only can I taste a synthetic fat or sweetener a mile away, but I know now how I like my food seasoned and love that cooking at home offers me the freedom to purchase the best quality ingredients. For those interested in learning how to Eat Real, Organic Food Without Breaking the Bank, the key is awareness.

The reason I say that Eggs Benedict is not a recipe you typically want to eat out is because, on a personal level, they NEVER give you enough sauce, but ultimately, most chefs don’t know how to make a good Hollandaise Sauce. Not to mention that they are usually pale and tasteless. I haven’t found a Hollandaise Sauce in a restaurant that I truly loved. This one is easy and it tastes amazing.

Hollandaise needs to be served warm and right away otherwise it separates. Now I don’t know what goes on in the back of those restaurant kitchens, but I do know what goes on in mine, and making a Hollandaise sauce requires timing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t hang out on the counter waiting very well. It is best when you make the sauce at the last minute and make this with a helper. Children make excellent Sous-chefs.

Prepping the Ingredients

Don’t let the idea of making Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce isolate you in the kitchen. Children make the best Sous-chefs and can be put to work helping juice lemons, chop dill, and measure out butter. They can also be on toaster duty for the English muffins. Employ the children in the kitchen and teach them where their food comes from. Not only will they grasp an appreciation for what goes into making a delicious and nutritious meal, but they will build their confidence and skill level as well.

Preparing Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise is like a fancy mayonnaise. It is prepared using melted butter rather than oil. Hollandaise uses a method called emulsification. This is the act of using a binding agent (in this case, egg yolk) to bring together two ingredients that don’t mix well (butter and lemon juice). Think oil and water. Typically, Hollandaise can be a tricky sauce in that it breaks apart easily if the yolk and lemon are not carefully tempered with the melted butter. Because I prepare this in my Vitamix blender while running on low, I can carefully drizzle the melted butter into the top. This creates a steady stream and prevents curdling rather than just dumping in the melted butter.

Troubleshooting for a Broken Hollandaise Sauce

Broken? Yes, that’s right. Most people who have attempted to prepare Hollandaise Sauce have broken it at least once. No need to throw it out. Fix it! If you happen to add your butter too hot or too fast, the sauce may separate and become grainy. Yuck! Simply, warm a stainless steel bowl by adding boiling water and then dumping it out. Add 1 T of boiling water to the warmed bowl and slowly drizzle in your broken sauce while whisking constantly. The sauce will thicken and emulsify. Viola! Perfecto! Now if only restoring a broken heart was as easy.

Poaching an Egg

Poaching eggs is not hard at all. Seating eight people at the breakfast table with warm Eggs Benedict is. Usually, my husband, daughter, and I are the only ones asking for Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce. For some reason, this year for Mother’s Day, everyone was down with eating Eggs Benedict. I might have to learn a new way to poach several eggs at once from now on. It’s my fault. I wanted to expose my children to a variety of good food because I didn’t want them to be picky eaters. Thanks again, Mom, for teaching me to love good food.

To start, fill a pot with 2″ water and add 1 T of vinegar. Vinegar, an acid medium, helps to denature the egg faster so that it will hold its rounded shape better. Bring to a rolling simmer. Once you have your rolling simmer, stir the water into a whirlpool and gently crack the egg into the middle. Stir gently for 3 & 1/2 minutes maintaining the whirlpool. This will create a rounded egg with the perfect runny yolk. Make sure and use a slotted spoon to remove the egg and allow it to drip dry before placing it on the salmon or bacon.

Plating the Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise

Check Out My Video on Preparing Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise for all You Visual Learners

Alternative Method:

For those of you who don’t like salmon, feel free to substitute the salmon for bacon, Canadian bacon, or ham and eliminate the dill from the sauce. Instead, garnish with fresh chives. Experiment by adding fresh, sliced tomatoes for a semi-BLT version. Technically, it doesn’t have the lettuce so it’s more like a BET-Bacon, egg, & tomato. No matter which way you layer it, it’s the sauce that makes it.

A Special Breakfast Deserves a Special Drink

Serve it with a glass of sparkling, non-alcoholic wine like Proxies. I tried their sample pack and totally love the Tart, a complex, tart, and aromatic sparkling wine infused with fruit, herbs, tea, and elderflowers. Now those who want a non-alcoholic alternative can enJOY a sophisticated wine that isn’t just sparkling grape juice. Proxies are next-level special and the Tart paired beautifully with my Eggs Benedict special celebration breakfast.

Pin for Later

Check Out These Other Great Recipes:

In everything you do -eat, play, and, love- may it always be Seasoned with Joy!