Eggs Benedict with Easy Hollandaise Sauce

Welcome to one of my all-time favorite meals: Eggs Benedict. (I love eggs!) A combination of a crunchy, toasted English muffin, a slice of ham or Canadian bacon, a warm and oozy perfectly-poached egg, all covered in buttery, lemony hollandaise sauce. Hello, deliciousness.

I only indulge in making eggs benedict a few times a year but whenever I do, I can always count on my husband to remind me that he never liked hollandaise sauce until he had mine. That, my friends, is a pretty big compliment. It’s an especially big compliment considering that over the many years I’ve made it, I’ve perfected an easy, microwaved hollandaise sauce that’s pretty much foolproof and not nearly as difficult as everyone thinks it is.

Before your head explodes over the supposed blasphemy of making hollandaise in a microwave, let me just say that it’s the same ingredients and the same end result as the classic version, sans the double boiler or stainless steel bowl over a pot of boiling water.

I’ve discovered that a lot of people are a little intimidated by making hollandaise sauce, often because of the double boiler method of making it.  I remember being intimidated myself when I first learned how to make it, unsure of what tempering or curdling or breaking was. Hollandaise had a reputation for being difficult to make, involving preciseness, and patience.

Pssht.

That’s just simply not true and I’m going to show you how easy hollandaise sauce is to make. Once you’ve made it in your microwave, I guarantee that you will never be intimidated by making it again. It might even inspire you to make it the old-fashioned way. 🙂

And honestly, if you’re making your hollandaise for eggs benedict like I do here, the hardest part isn’t making the hollandaise but timing everything so nothing’s ice cold when you plate it.

Classic Eggs Benedict with Easy Microwave Hollandaise Sauce Recipe

Ingredients you’ll need for 2 servings of Eggs Benedict:

• 6 eggs (4 for poaching, 2 egg yolks only, for hollandaise sauce)
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 English muffins, split and toasted
• 4 slices Canadian bacon
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar for poaching eggs
• Freshly ground black pepper

Easy Microwave Hollandaise Sauce Recipe

This makes about 1/2 cup hollandaise sauce, which is more than enough for 2 servings.

• 5 tablespoons butter (put your good European or grass-fed butter to work here)
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (or to taste – I like my hollandaise on the lemony side)
• 2-3 healthy dashes of Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Separate yolks from 2 eggs, placing egg yolks into a small dish and setting aside whites for a later use. Whisk the yolks with a fork until well blended.
2. Put butter, lemon juice, Tabasco, and salt into a glass bowl and microwave just until hot and melted
3. Spoon a tablespoon of the hot butter mixture into the egg yolks and whisk well with a fork
4. Add a second tablespoon and whisk again
5. Scrape the egg yolk mixture into the butter mixture and whisk it all together very well

As the yolks are incorporated into the butter mixture, they’ll begin to cook. If the hollandaise is still too runny, return the whole dish to the microwave and heat in 5-second increments, stirring with a fork in between, until to your desired consistency. Hollandaise should be slightly thick but still pourable, not runny like water.

That’s it. You just made easy microwave hollandaise sauce.

If you should overheat the hollandaise, it will curdle due to the yolk cooking too much or the hot butter separating from the rest of the mixture. Don’t despair! Whisk it well and quickly with a fork or whisk until re-incorporated. You can add a teaspoon of cool water also and whisk it in, to help blend it all back together. Usually, this is all that’s needed to recover it.

Poached Eggs Recipe

• 4 eggs
• 1 shallow pan (I use a stainless skillet) filled 3/4 of the way with water
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar

What you’ll need:

• A small bowl or ramekin
• A slotted spoon
• Paper towel for blotting eggs when done cooking

In the meantime:

1. While eggs are poaching, split and toast your English muffins

To poach eggs:

1. Add water to pan until about 2/3 full, add vinegar
2. Bring water to a low boil
3. Crack one egg into ramekin and then slip into the water
4. Repeat with remaining 3 eggs
5. Simmer eggs at a low boil for 3 minutes, using the slotted spoon to gently turn them over about 1/2 way through
6. If needed, gently slide the spoon under the eggs if they seem to be sticking to the bottom of the pan
7. Use the slotted spoon to remove from water and place on paper towel to drain

To plate eggs benedict:

1. Place 2 toasted muffin halves on each plate
2. Top each half with a slice of ham or Canadian bacon
3. Place 1 poached egg on top of each ham-topped muffin half
4. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of hollandaise over each egg
5. Sprinkle with just a bit of freshly ground black pepper (optional)
6. Serve immediately

There’s something really beautiful about the mixture of textures and flavors in eggs benedict. And when you split open the poached egg, it’s an oozy, golden plate of amazingness.

As mentioned earlier, I like my hollandaise on the lemony side, so you can adjust the lemon to your taste. Sometimes I make it extra lemony, especially in the summer. Otherwise, this is really a classic eggs benedict recipe, aside from the fact I go a little rogue with preparing the hollandaise sauce. 🙂

As always, don’t be afraid to play with this – place a little blanched spinach or arugula underneath the eggs, throw on a slice of roasted onion, switch out the Canadian bacon with regular bacon or crispy prosciutto….mix it up with some of your favorites.

Of course, this is especially nice when served with a bright mimosa or spicy bloody mary…all the makings for a perfect homemade Sunday brunch.

Enjoy!