Ahh, classic Eggs Benedict. A perfect poached egg perched atop a crisp, buttery English muffin. Lemony, creamy Hollandaise sauce smothering the top; a slice of ham or bacon sandwiched somewhere there in the middle.
Wait, what? Cue screeching brake noise. This is a vegetarian blog! Well, good thing! Because today, we've got a meatless version of Eggs Benedict that will have you singing the praises of Sunday brunch right along with the meat-eating chorus.
You can even gloat a little, if you want--because I uphold that this vegetarian Eggs Benedict, with luscious avocado and smoky roasted red peppers in lieu of meat, beats the pants off of the carnivorous version any day of the week.
First, we've got the standard English muffin. Toasted, then buttered. I just buy 'em at the store, but if you're really feeling ambitious, I'm pretty sure this homemade version would be incredible. Next, we layer on a couple of slices of perfectly ripe, buttery avocado. And then, a nice hunk of roasted red pepper. I make them at home (and here's how I do it), but a store-bought jar will do you just fine. Hollandaise sauce made with a blender--so much easier!
And, of course, a perfectly poached egg.
In our kitchen, I cook 95% of the time, because I love it. But poached eggs are my guy's domain; he's got 'em mastered. People have all kinds of tips and tricks to achieving the perfect poached egg. Here are his.
How we poach our eggs
Fill a shallow (about 3-inch) saucepan about ¾ of the way with water. Add a generous pinch of salt and a splash (about a tablespoon) of white vinegar. Bring to a boil.
Crack up to four eggs into individual bowls or teacups. Note: Sometimes he doubles up and adds two eggs per teacup. Other times, when, say, he's under pressure to create two perfect-looking poached eggs for an Eggs Benedict blog story, he'll go ahead and use one cup or bowl per egg.
When the water has come to a boil, gently lower the teacups into the water, allowing the water to first creep a bit into the cup before gently but quickly pouring the egg completely into the water. Repeat as quickly as possible with remaining eggs.
Set the timer for exactly three minutes; wait and watch. At first, the whites and the yolks may seem like they're all over the place, but hold tight. Soon enough, the whites will begin to wrap back around their yolks. If the water threatens to boil over, reduce the heat a bit. And if some white, foamy stuff appears on the top of the water, gently skim it off with a spoon.
As soon as the timer goes off, gently scoop the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and serve. That's it!
Okay! Now that you've poached your eggs, it's time to get crackin' (ahem) on this here meatless Eggs Benedict.
Happy brunching!
Ingredients
For the Hollandaise Sauce:
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch cayenne pepper optional
For the Eggs Benedict:
- 4 English muffins sliced in half
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small avocado sliced
- 1 small jar roasted red peppers drained
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar divided
- 8 eggs
Instructions
To Make the Hollandaise Sauce:
- Place the butter in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Warm just until sizzling. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne (if using) to a blender. Blend at medium speed for about 1 minute, until well-blended and yolks are pale. With the blender running on medium, very slowly and carefully stream the butter into the egg yolk mixture. The yolks will cook thanks to the heat of the butter, and the sauce will form. It will be pale yellow and fairly runny. Pour into a bowl and keep in a warm place until ready to serve. I usually set mine over a bowl of warm water.
To Make the Eggs Benedict:
- Toast the English muffins and butter them. Lay two toasted English muffins each, buttered side up, onto four serving plates. Layer avocado, then roasted red peppers, over the top.
- Now, poach the eggs. Fill a shallow (about 3-inch) saucepan about ¾ of the way full with water and set it over high heat. Stir in a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of vinegar and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, crack four of the eggs into individual bowls or teacups. Gently lower the teacups into the water, allowing the water to creep a bit into the cup before pouring the egg completely into the water. Repeat as quickly as possible with remaining three eggs. Cook for 3 minutes exactly. (Set a timer!) Be sure not to let the water boil over and if any white foam appears, gently skim it off with a spoon. Once the 3 minutes is up, scoop the poached eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and set one egg on top of each muffin. To poach the remaining four eggs, discard water and start with fresh water, salt, and the remaining tablespoon of vinegar.
- Once the Eggs Benedict are assembled, drizzle Hollandaise sauce over each and, if desired, sprinkle with additional cayenne or garnish with a basil leaf or chopped chives. Serve immediately.
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
I've been poaching eggs the hard way this entire time. I would swirl the water around to create a treacherous whril pool and dump. It made a mess. Tell your guy this is genius! I love the big hunk of red pepper.
Kare Troughton says
He's tried the whirlpool method, too! All we ended up with was watery egg drop soup. 😉 I will pass on the compliments, thanks!
Emily @ Zen & Spice says
I've never actually tried eggs benedict or hollandaise sauce!! And I've never poached an egg! The flavors in this recipe look incredible. Nothing is better than avocado and egg paired together.
Kare Troughton says
Thanks! I agree ... although avocado makes *anything* good. Well, except smoothies ... I keep trying to go there, but it just doesn't work for me! 🙂
Julia says
Delicious! I love eggs benedict and have never tried your perfect poached egg method. I always end up with egg whites spreading out in a vat of water and have to take the trial and error approach until I get it right. So excited to try your technique and mow on some delicious EB. Gimme that avocado!! YUM! 😀
Kare Troughton says
Poaching eggs is tough! That's why I'm so thankful that my hubby is willing to do it. 😀
Maria Tadic says
Eggs benedict is hands down the best breakfast in the world!!! I always order it when we're out to eat! I love the idea of the avocado AND pepper. Yum. A great way to get in an am serving of veggies!
Aggie says
I love your method for poaching eggs! Seems easy enough! I order a veggie eggs Benedict at a local place and it is my favorite!! This looks delicious!
Andrea Smith says
Where on earth are those heart patterned plates from? They're adorable!
Kare Troughton says
Those are from a Japanese import store called Daiso! A whopping $1.50 each. 🙂 I love them too!
Joanne says
I often cry a little inside when I can't order eggs benedict at restaurants. Not that I crave/want ham or bacon...but I miss my hollandaise! I love that this also has some veggies in it. Lessens the hollandaise sauce guilt.
Natalie @ Once Upon a Cutting Board says
Your photos are absolutely gorgeous! I always start trying to push the whites back toward the egg when they look all over the place so next time I'm going to heed your advice and just watch and wait!
lisacng @ expandng.com says
Looks awesome and thanks for sharing your hubs' poaching method. I believe I have tried once and failed once at this ;).
Cooking Jar and Happy Accidents says
"Wait, what? Cue screeching brake noise. This is a vegetarian blog! " Loved this so much. I actually heard the sound in my head!
Margaret says
Instead of messing with keeping the water simmering but not too hot, try just putting the eggs in, TURN OFF the heat, cover, and let sit. I usually do four minutes and have nice runny yolks. Vinegar and salt are key, though I usually put in a teaspoon of salt (since the eggs don't really absorb the salt but are still covered with a little of the salty water for flavor). I wish I can remember who to give credit to for this. Mark Bittman, maybe?
Wanita says
This is exactly how I poach eggs 🙂 except that my cups aren't the same color as yours! It's good to know someone else knows how to poach eggs
Shelly says
Love this vegetarian approach to a great breakfast. Thanks!
Cat says
This recipe looks really great! Do you serve the roasted peppers at room temp straight out of the jar? It looks like that is the case from the recipe, but just making sure!
Kristen says
You can't go wrong with breakfast for dinner! This recipe made poaching eggs and making hollandaise a breeze even on a busy weekday night, and it was even more delicious that I expected. However, I was hoping the warm hollandaise and egg yolk would warm up the cold roasted red peppers and avocado, but the whole dish ended up a bit cold. The next night when serving the leftovers, I microwaved the toasted muffins, avocado, and roasted peppers for about 30 seconds before adding the freshly poached egg and hollandaise (which I warmed in a bowl of hot water). It was perfect!
Lori says
I am imagining polenta instead of an english muffin...Yum!
Amanda says
The hollandaise turned out VERY RUNNY. It had the consistency of butter. I feel like this recipe needs a thickening agent.