Sunday Morning Eggs Benedict

Instructions

1. I prefer to begin with the butter used to make the hollandaise sauce. Melt the butter in a small dish over the stove or in the microwave. Set aside to allow it to cool down. You do NOT want scorching hot melted butter—this will cook the egg yolks. So, I always melt it before poaching the eggs and finish the hollandaise right before serving.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the tomatoes and Canadian bacon to the skillet, sprinkle the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the tomatoes and Canadian bacon on both sides for 2 minutes each. Even though the Canadian bacon is pre-cooked, I like it warm and slightly crisp. Feel free to cook it in the skillet a little longer. The tomatoes only need 2 minutes on each side. Turn off the heat and set the skillet aside.
3. Poach the eggs using your preferred method. I poach my eggs using Kevin’s method explained (in great!) detail below this recipe. Feel free to use any poached egg tutorial you like. The below method works best for me. Read it through before beginning. In the last step you’ll read at the very bottom of this post, I give my tips for cooking 8 poached eggs and having them all be warm for serving.
4. Toast the English muffins to your liking. Add two toasted English muffin halves onto 4 plates. Set aside.
5. Finish the hollandaise. Place the egg yolks and lemon juice in a blender. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds until combined. Give the melted butter a quick whisk to combine any bits that separated. Working quickly and with the blender running on medium speed, remove lid insert and slowly pour melted butter into blender in a thin stream. Blend until creamy sauce forms. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add a little more fresh lemon juice if you prefer. A dash of hot sauce is also tasty. *If you do not own a blender, you may use a whisk. Make sure you are whisking vigorously.
6. Top the English muffin halves with 1 slice Canadian bacon, followed by a tomato slice. Carefully top with poached egg and generously drizzle each with prepared hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, if desired.
7. Enjoy immediately. Recipe may easily be halved to only serve 2 people. Poached eggs are best used the day they’re cooked, but they can be kept overnight in the ice bath explained in the last step below.