Making eggs Benedict requires careful orchestration. You have to have warm, crispy bacon, hot buttered toasted English muffins, eggs poached perfectly to your desire, and a warm, creamy, unbroken hollandaise sauce, all at about the same time.

What Is Eggs Benedict?

Eggs Benedict is a traditional American breakfast and brunch recipe that originated in New York City. It consists of an English muffin, cut in half, toasted, and topped with Canadian bacon, poached eggs, and classic French hollandaise sauce. It’s decadent, rich, and satisfying.

How to Make Perfect Poached Eggs

Not everyone poaches eggs right on the first try. Or the second. If you’ve never made poached eggs before, they can take some practice. For a better chance of getting it right, try these tips.

• Start with the freshest eggs you can get. The older the eggs are, the more likely they are to fall apart in the simmering water.
• Make sure the water is barely simmering (with just a few bubbles appearing every now and then). If the water is at a full boil (lots of rapidly moving bubbles), the chances of the egg separating when it hits the water are greater.
• Don’t forget to add the vinegar to the water.
• Crack the egg into a small bowl before adding it to the water. Then gently slide the egg from the bowl into the simmering water.
• Time the poaching egg carefully. Four minutes should be just about right.
• Drain the poached eggs well. Hot tip: a stale piece of bread works even better than a paper towel.

For The Hollandaise Sauce

• Blend the egg yolks a full 30 seconds. Blending them for less time makes for a runnier sauce, plus it heats the eggs yolks a bit.
• Melt the butter gently, so it’s not hot and sputtering (this can cause the sauce to break).
• Add the butter in a slow, steady stream as the blender runs. Adding the butter too fast keeps the sauce from properly emulsifying.
• If the sauce is emulsified but too thin for your liking, pour it into the pot you melted the butter in and heat over low heat, whisking constantly until it gets more body.