Hollandaise is the part that scares people. This version skips the whisk and the double boiler. You put yolks, vinegar, hot sauce and salt in a small blender, then pour hot melted butter in a thin stream while it runs. Two to three minutes later you have a sauce that coats the back of a spoon.
The rest is timing. Prosciutto crisps in a skillet in 2 to 3 minutes. English muffins toast in the same pan in another 2 to 3 minutes. Eggs poach in simmering water, one at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes each. Everything lands on the plate warm if you start the sauce last.
This makes two servings, four muffin halves and four eggs. It's a weekend plate, not a weekday one, but nothing in it is hard.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Crisp the prosciutto
Warm the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lay in the prosciutto and cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until it's crisp and darker at the edges. Move it to a paper towel lined plate.
2. Toast the muffins
Pour off the fat left in the pan and add the 2 tablespoons of butter. Set the muffin halves cut side down and cook over medium for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and crisp. Pull them out and set aside.
3. Blend the hollandaise
Put the yolks, vinegar, hot sauce and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small blender. Run it about 20 seconds, until the mix is even and a little thick. Keep it on low and pour the hot melted butter in a slow, steady stream. Blend 2 to 3 minutes, until thick and glossy.
4. Adjust the sauce
If it's too thick to pour, blend in hot water a tablespoon at a time. Taste it and add salt if it needs more. Leave the sauce in the blender with the lid on while you poach.
5. Set up the poaching water
Fill a large wide saucepan with water to a depth of 6 inches. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat and add a pinch of salt.
6. Strain the eggs
Crack one egg into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and let the loose, watery white drain off. Slide the egg into a small ramekin. Repeat with the other three and throw out the strained liquid.
7. Poach the eggs
Stir the water with a large slotted spoon to make a slow whirlpool. Slide in one egg and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the white is set and the yolk still soft. Lift it out with the spoon and rest it on paper towels. Do the same with the other three.
8. Build the plates
Set two muffin halves on each plate. Pile on the prosciutto, then a poached egg, then a generous spoon of hollandaise. Finish with chives and black pepper and serve right away.
How to Store Eggs Benedict With Blender Hollandaise
Refrigerator
Hollandaise doesn't keep well. It separates in the cold and won't come back smoothly. If you must, cover it and use it within a day, then reblend with a splash of hot water. Poached eggs and crisped prosciutto keep covered for up to 2 days.
Freezer
Don't freeze the hollandaise or the poached eggs. The sauce breaks and the whites turn rubbery.
Reheating
Warm poached eggs in barely simmering water for about 30 seconds. Re-crisp prosciutto in a dry skillet for a minute. Make fresh hollandaise rather than reheating old sauce.
Tips & Tricks
- Melt the butter last, right before you blend. Butter that sits and cools is the most common reason hollandaise stays thin.
- Strain the watery part of each egg white before poaching. It keeps the water clear and the finished egg tidy.
- Crack eggs into a small ramekin first. Dropping them in from the shell breaks the yolk more often than not.
- Keep the water at a gentle simmer. A hard boil tears the whites apart.
Variations
Smoked salmon instead of prosciutto
skip the skillet step and drape the salmon straight onto the toasted muffins.
Spinach version
wilt a handful of spinach in the skillet after the prosciutto and tuck it under the eggs.
Bacon swap
thick-cut bacon takes 6 to 8 minutes in the pan, not 2 to 3, so start it earlier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did my blender hollandaise not thicken?
The butter was probably not hot enough, or it went in too fast. The butter needs to be melted and still hot when it hits the yolks, and it has to go in a thin stream with the blender running. If it's already thin, it's hard to rescue. Start again with fresh yolks.
Q: Can I make the hollandaise ahead?
You can blend it up to about 30 minutes ahead and keep it somewhere warm, like near the stove. It thickens as it cools. If it gets stiff, loosen it with a spoon of hot water.
Q: How do I know a poached egg is done?
Lift it with a slotted spoon and give it a gentle wobble. The white should feel set and firm and the middle should still move. That's usually 2 to 3 minutes in gently simmering water.
Q: Do I have to strain the egg whites?
No, but it helps. The thin watery white makes the water cloudy and leaves ragged edges on the egg. Straining takes a few seconds per egg.
Q: What can I use instead of prosciutto?
Bacon, Canadian bacon or thin sliced ham all work. Adjust the time: bacon needs 6 to 8 minutes, ham only needs a quick warm through.
Eggs Benedict With Blender Hollandaise for Two
Crispy prosciutto, soft poached eggs and toasted English muffins under a silky hollandaise you make in the blender in about two minutes.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1Crisp the prosciutto — Warm the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lay in the prosciutto and cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until it's crisp and darker at the edges. Move it to a paper towel lined plate.
- 2Toast the muffins — Pour off the fat left in the pan and add the 2 tablespoons of butter. Set the muffin halves cut side down and cook over medium for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and crisp. Pull them out and set aside.
- 3Blend the hollandaise — Put the yolks, vinegar, hot sauce and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small blender. Run it about 20 seconds, until the mix is even and a little thick. Keep it on low and pour the hot melted butter in a slow, steady stream. Blend 2 to 3 minutes, until thick and glossy.
- 4Adjust the sauce — If it's too thick to pour, blend in hot water a tablespoon at a time. Taste it and add salt if it needs more. Leave the sauce in the blender with the lid on while you poach.
- 5Set up the poaching water — Fill a large wide saucepan with water to a depth of 6 inches. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat and add a pinch of salt.
- 6Strain the eggs — Crack one egg into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and let the loose, watery white drain off. Slide the egg into a small ramekin. Repeat with the other three and throw out the strained liquid.
- 7Poach the eggs — Stir the water with a large slotted spoon to make a slow whirlpool. Slide in one egg and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the white is set and the yolk still soft. Lift it out with the spoon and rest it on paper towels. Do the same with the other three.
- 8Build the plates — Set two muffin halves on each plate. Pile on the prosciutto, then a poached egg, then a generous spoon of hollandaise. Finish with chives and black pepper and serve right away.
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