Identification

• Eggs Benedict is made with a toasted English muffin half topped with a slice of Canadian bacon or ham and a poached egg, covered in warm hollandaise sauce. It is a popular meal for a gourmet breakfast or brunch. Hollandaise sauce is a creamy rich sauce made from egg yolks and butter, which has been cooked over a double boiler.
  
  

Features

• The classic Eggs Benedict features a poached egg. When poaching an egg, the raw egg is carefully dropped into a pan of simmering water. It will take about three minutes for the egg to cook. Canadian bacon makes the ideal meat choice, as it typically comes in round slices, which fit nicely on the round muffin half. A sprig of fresh parsley or a dash of paprika can be used as a decorative garnish.
  
  

Types

• Over the years, variations to the recipe have evolved. Country-style Eggs Benedict typically substitutes country gravy for the hollandaise sauce. Yet it is normally the Canadian bacon or ham that is replaced by another food, to create a new recipe. With eggs Florentine it is spinach, Seafood Benedict it is crab or shrimp, in Veggie Benedict it is a tomato or avocado, and in Irish Benedict it is corned beef hash. The possibilities are endless.
  
  

History

• There are two popular stories as to the origin of Eggs Benedict. One credits Delmonico's Restaurant for creating the dish in the 1860s, after a regular patron, Mrs. LeGrand Benedict, urged the chef to create something new for lunch. The chef, Charles Ranhofer, included a recipe for Eggs a' la Benedick in his 1894 cookbook, "The Epicurean." The second version came from Wall Street broker Lemuel Benedict, who, prior to his death in 1894, claimed he ordered up the concoction as a cure for a hangover at the Waldorf Hotel in New York, and the chef, Oscar Tschirky, added it to the menu. Lemuel Benedict's version used bacon, which Tschirky substituted with Canadian bacon.
  
  

Warning

• Eggs Benedict is a delicious dish, yet one that should not be eaten on a frequent basis, due to its high fat and cholesterol content. One tablespoon of hollandaise sauce might have 70 calories. Eggs Benedict is typically served with a liberal amount of hollandaise sauce, and one serving can easily exceed 600 calories.