County Cavan chef, Nevin Maguire writes "This is my version of eggs Benedict, which is a poached egg served on a split muffin with crispy bacon and a warm butter sauce, which is much lighter than hollandaise. It’s also fantastic served with smoked salmon, which is known as eggs royale, or slices of hand-carved cooked ham."
Eggs Benedict recipe
Serves: 4
Time: Less than an hour
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 8 eggs
- 16 smoked streaky bacon rashers, rinds removed
- 4 English breakfast muffins, split in half
- 25g (1oz) unsalted butter, softened
- Fresh chervil sprigs, to garnish
For the butter sauce:
- 100ml (3 ½fl oz) cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 25g (1oz) butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon cornflour, sifted
- A squeeze of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Method:
Heat a large pan with 2.25 liters (4 pints) of water. Add the white wine vinegar and bring to the boil. Break each egg into the water where it’s bubbling, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 3 minutes, until the eggs are just cooked through but the yolks are still soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of iced water.
Preheat the grill, then grill the bacon until it’s crispy and golden, turning regularly. Toast the muffins, cut side up, and spread with the butter.
Meanwhile, to make the butter sauce, place the cream and mustard in a small pan and simmer for 1 minute. Whisk in the butter, cornflour, and lemon juice, then continue to whisk for 2–3 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the chives and season to taste. Keep warm.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the poached eggs and cook for 1 minute to warm through.
To serve, place 2 muffin halves on each warmed serving plate and put 2 slices of bacon on top of each one. Using a slotted spoon, remove the poached eggs from the pan and drain briefly on kitchen paper. Place an egg on the bacon and spoon over the butter sauce. Garnish with the chervil sprigs.
* Originally published in 2019, updated in Nov 2024.
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