A classic American brunch dish of poached eggs and Canadian bacon stacked on a toasted English muffin and napped with hollandaise sauce.
Origin
Eggs Benedict has at least two origin stories, both pointing to New York. One credits Lemuel Benedict, a Wall Street stockbroker who in 1894 ordered “buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise” at the Waldorf to settle a hangover. Maître d’ Oscar Tschirky reportedly approved the combination, swapping the toast for an English muffin and the bacon for ham. The dish entered the Waldorf’s regular menu and spread from there.
The hollandaise
Hollandaise is one of the five “mother sauces” of French cooking — an emulsion of egg yolks, melted butter, lemon juice, and warm acid, whisked over gentle heat until thickened. It’s notoriously fragile: too much heat and the eggs scramble; too little and the emulsion never forms.
Variations
- Eggs Florentine — replaces the bacon with sautéed spinach.
- Eggs Royale — uses smoked salmon instead of bacon.
- Huevos Benedictos — Mexican version with chorizo, salsa, and sometimes avocado.