Eggs benedict is a classic dish that has come back into fashion for breakfast at many cafes and restaurants. It is a simple combination of ham, eggs and hollandaise sauce served on English muffins. For the purist homemade hollandaise will always taste better than anything you can buy however most of us don’t have the time to knock up a batch at breakfast time and keeping a jar of readymade sauce in the refrigerator is no hardship really. Muffins are something else we wont make, we keep a batch in the freezer and defrost them as we need them, simple.
This recipe is for 1 person, increase the quantities for the number of people you are cooking for, if you want a smaller portion cook one egg instead of 2 and add less ham.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs poached to your taste preferably soft
- 2 slices of good quality ham
- A good dollop of hollandaise sauce
- 1 English muffin halved and toasted
- A little butter - optional
- A sprinkle of paprika - optional
Method
- Lay your muffin halves on a plate and spread with butter if you want it
- Place a piece of ham on each half of the muffin
- Place 1 egg on top of each piece of ham
- Spoon a dollop of hollandaise on top of each egg
- Sprinkle a little paprika on top of the hollandaise sauce
- Eat and enjoy
Serving suggestions and variations
- Eggs benedict are one of a range of similar meals. For a vegetarian version use fresh spinach leaves instead of the ham and you have eggs Florentine, for a more luxurious version use smoked salmon instead of the ham and you have eggs royale.
- For a more substantial meal at lunchtime serve with a side salad
- Try Palma ham or one of the other cured meats and salamis available
- Try using mayo instead of hollandaise, they are similar products and mayo has a less strong flavour
- Miss out the sauce and use scrambled eggs instead of poached
- Try crumpets, rye bread or a seeded bread toasted instead of the muffins
Acknowledgements
I first tried eggs benedict at our local Sainsbury’s café. It was a lovely alternative to a full English breakfast and is something I am happy to put together for a weekend big breakfast.
You may also like to try these recipes from our collection;
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- Great for a snack, party or side dish Spicy Jacket Potato Wedges are so easy peasy to make.
- Looking for a special dessert a Baked Rasperry Cheesecake will fill the spot, made extra special with a raspberry coulis.
If you have enjoyed this recipe
Happy eating!