Breakfast treat: Eggs Benedict

This dish is very often served for breakfast in hotels or guest houses, but Arlene suggests you try making your own at home.

The combination of toasted muffin, crispy bacon, poached eggs and a creamy hollandaise sauce makes for a tasty and luxurious breakfast treat.

Did you know? Eggs Royale uses smoked salmon instead of bacon and Eggs Florentine uses spinach instead of bacon.

Ingredients

2 slices back bacon grilled and fat trimmed

2 poached eggs

125g butter

2 egg yolks

½ tsp white wine vinegar

pinch salt

splash of ice cold water

lemon juice

cayenne pepper

sprig of parsley to garnish

Method

1. To make the hollandaise sauce: melt 125g butter in a saucepan and skim any white solids from surface. Keep the butter warm.

Put two egg yolks, 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and a splash of ice-cold water in a metal or glass bowl, which will fit over a small pan.

Whisk for a few minutes then put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk continuously until pale and thick, about 3-5 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the melted butter, bit by bit until it’s all incorporated and you have a creamy hollandaise. (If it gets too thick, add a splash of water.)

Season with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little cayenne pepper.

Keep warm until it is needed.

3.To make Eggs Benedict, toast two muffin halves, top each with a slice of bacon, a poached egg and spoon over a generous helping of hollandaise.