The first time I ever made eggs Benedict was when Brenda asked me—after she realized that if someone throws down the cooking gauntlet it’s almost impossible for me not to accept the challenge—if I could. I’d never made them before, but I pulled out my favorite cookbook, found the recipe, and said, “Yeah, I can make that.”

Making eggs Benedict is actually not that hard. It involves poaching some eggs, toasting some English muffins, heating slices of ham in a skillet, and whisking together egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice in a double boiler—all simple enough tasks. Where it gets tricky is that you kind of have to do all those things at the same time. Even so, it’s doable, and completely worth it.

Eggs Benedict
4 servings

• 4 eggs
• 2 english muffins, split in half
• 4 thin slices of ham or Canadian bacon
• paprika for garnish
• Hollandaise sauce (recipe below)

Grease a large skillet with nonstick spray and fill halfway with water. Set over medium-high heat. When water is just beginning to simmer, reduce heat to low. Break one egg into a measuring cup and gently slide the egg into the water. (The white of the egg will spread out, but don’t be scared you’re doing it wrong, it will come together more as it cooks.) Repeat with remaining eggs. Let cook until whites are opaque and yolks are set but not hard. Remove from water with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.

Toast the English muffin halves and butter them, if you like. Set each toasted muffin half on a plate and set aside. (The first time I made this I didn’t have any English muffins and used whole-wheat bread instead. It tasted just as good.)

Place the ham in a small skillet and place over medium-low heat until the ham is heated through. Flip each slice over and remove the skillet from heat, but leave the ham in the pan so it stays warm.

Make the Hollandaise sauce (recipe below). Place the ham slices on top of the toasted muffin halves, and top each one with a poached egg. Spoon Hollandaise sauce over each egg, and sprinkle with paprika. Serve immediately.

Hollandaise Sauce

The first time I made Hollandaise, I accidentally used half as much butter as the recipe I was using called for, and I doubled the amount of lemon juice because I thought 1 Tablespoon wasn’t enough. I’ve made it that way ever since because I liked it.

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 c. butter, cut into three pieces
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly-squeezed if possible
• 1 Tbsp. water
• salt and pepper

In the top of a double boiler with water simmering in the bottom (I use a Pyrex bowl set into a saucepan with a small amount of water in it—you don’t want the bottom of the bowl to touch the water), combine the eggs yolks, lemon juice, and water with a whisk. Add one piece of butter and stir with the whisk constantly till the butter is melted. Repeat with remaining pieces of butter, then continue cooking and stirring till sauce thickens and is a creamy yellow color. Continue cooking and stirring another minute or so. Add a dash of salt and pepper. If sauce thickens too much, add a bit of hot water from the bottom of the boiler and stir till smooth.