Eggs Benedict

This recipe is for my friend - he who went to London recently, ate Eggs Benedict and fell in love with it, but cannot find a cafe that serves it in Vienna.


I adore Eggs Benedict too, but only occasionally. The rich, tangy Hollandaise sauce is the part of this dish that makes it so special, otherwise it would juts be plain old poached eggs and bacon. It is true that I have never seen it on a menu anywhere here. And it is true that you can buy an absolutely awful pre-made version of the Hollandaise sauce at the supermarket. I will admit that I have tried this sauce when I was a bit pressed for time, but no more. The sauce I made for this dish only took five minutes and it was 100 times better that the stuff from a packet. The sauce keeps in the fridge for a few days, so if you make a double batch, you can use it with chicken, seafood or vegetables the next day.

I like a very tangy sauce, so I used Dijon mustard and some red wine vinegar in addition to lemon juice in my sauce. But it was so super tasty that the plates were licked clean. You can make the sauce without the mustard and vinegar if you'd like something a bit milder, but I think it is much better with these ingredients.

What you'll need

Serves 2

4 large eggs
6 - 8 rashers bacon
1 tablespoon white vinegar
4 pieces of something bready
*While it is traditional to serve Eggs Benedict with toasted English muffins, I much prefer it with some lovely grainy toast, but you can use whatever you have.
Some fresh herbs for presentation - I used basil, but you could use chives or some finely sliced eshallots.

For the Hollandaise sauce

2 large egg yolks
150g butter, cold and cut into small cubes
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Splash of red wine vinegar
Pinch salt

What to do

Cook the bacon to your liking, then set aside and keep warm.

Make the sauce. Put a small pot of water on to simmer. Once simmering, place a heatproof bowl over the pot and add the two egg yolks. Whisk gently and then start adding the cubes of butter, one cube at a time until it melts, whisking continuously. Once all the butter has been added, pour in the lemon juice, and whisk gently to combine. Turn off the heat, but leave the bowl over the pot of water. Add the mustard and vinegar and whisk gently to combine. Taste the sauce and if you feel it needs salt, add a little bit.

Poach the eggs. Set a large, deep pan of water to simmer. Add a pinch of salt and the vinegar. Once the water is just simmering, very gently and slowly crack the eggs into the water, allowing space between each egg. Cook for about 4 minutes at a gentle simmer. The egg yolk should still be runny after this time.

While the eggs are cooking, toast your bread and start to assemble the plates.

Place two pieces of bread/muffins on the plate. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the water, allow the water the drain off and then arrange on the bread. Spoon some Hollandaise sauce over the top of the eggs, arrange the bacon on the side and top with some fresh herbs and a grind of fresh black pepper if desired.