This is an impressive breakfast for a special occasion or
for a leisurely weekend brunch. This savoury dish is so enjoyable because of
its many contrasts. The crisp, toasted English muffins, the meaty Canadian
bacon, the light poached egg and the creamy hollandaise sauce provide a
pleasant variety of textures as well as flavours. Hollandaise sauce takes time
and experience to master, so use prepared hollandaise sauce to simplify the
cooking process if you wish. For some variation, instead of Canadian bacon, use
smoked salmon (Eggs Pacifica); or use prosciutto ham and come up with your own
name! You could even ditch the English muffin and put it all on a bed of
asparagus — no carbs! 
Yield: 4
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup prepared hollandaise sauce
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 4 slices Canadian bacon
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 English muffins, fork split
- Paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation Procedure
- Toast the split English muffins to the desired degree of
crispness in the toaster. Set them aside on a covered plate to stay warm.
- Heat the hollandaise sauce over low heat in a saucepan. When
it is warm and liquid, reduce the heat to warm and cover the saucepan, stirring
occasionally, to keep it warm.
- Heat olive oil over high heat in a skillet. Add the Canadian
bacon and sauté just enough to warm and slightly brown them. Place the Canadian
bacon on a covered plate to stay warm.
- Pour water into a large saucepan or skillet until it reaches
the depth of 2 inches. Heat the water to a simmer over medium heat. Add the
salt.
- Crack each egg into a small bowl, and then gently slide each
into the water. Do not crowd the eggs, or they will cook together. Gently
simmer the eggs for three to five minutes.
- Place two warmed English muffin halves on each plate with
the cut side facing up, and top each half with a slice of Canadian bacon.
- Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon, and
gently blot the bottom of each egg with a paper towel while it is on the spoon.
Place the egg on the Canadian bacon, and carefully trim any ragged edges with a
knife.
- Top each egg with the warm hollandaise, garnish with a pinch
of paprika, and serve the eggs Benedict hot.
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