A Classic Breakfast: Eggs Benedict with Mary Berry’s Recipe
Eggs Benedict is a beloved breakfast dish that many people enjoy, but it can be challenging to recreate at home. Fortunately, Mary Berry has shared her recipe, making it easier for home cooks to prepare this delightful meal without spending extra on brunch.
Mary Berry first introduced the recipe in her book Classic and has since revisited it on her website. When introducing the dish, she wrote: “A classic dish, such a treat to have when eating out, but thought to be tricky at home – it needs care but is well worthwhile, have a go! Use smoked bacon if liked.”
Ingredients (Serves Four)
- Eight thin rashers of streaky bacon
- Butter, for spreading and frying
- Four eggs
- Two English muffins, sliced in half
- 200g of baby spinach
For the Hollandaise sauce:
– Two egg yolks
– One teaspoon of white vinegar, plus a little extra for poaching the eggs
– 100g of unsalted butter, melted
– Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Start by frying the bacon for four or five minutes, or until crisp, in a dry nonstick frying pan over high heat, or on a grill. Set aside and keep warm.
To make the hollandaise sauce, begin by hand-whisking the yolks and vinegar together in a medium bowl until blended. Then set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water.
Gradually pour in the melted butter in a thin stream, whisking continuously over the heat until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Cover with cling film and set aside.
Bring the pan of water to a boil, adding more water as needed until you have enough to poach the eggs. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and add a splash of vinegar.
Crack each egg into a ramekin or cup, swirl the water with a spoon and then carefully drop it into the pan. Leave until the white is just beginning to set and carefully turn with a slotted spoon to form into an oval shape.
Mary Berry advises: “Don’t panic when first tipping an egg into the poaching water. The egg white will naturally spread out, but it comes together as it cooks, and you can tidy the edges at the end when the cooked egg is draining on kitchen paper.”
Simmer for a further three or four minutes, until the white is set and the yolk is soft in the middle. Make sure you keep an eye on the water and turn the heat down if it starts bubbling.
Once ready, remove the egg using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Then, toast and butter the muffins and arrange them on four plates.
Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and briefly fry the spinach until wilted, and season to taste. Spoon some spinach on top of each muffin half, top with an egg and a spoonful of hollandaise and arrange two bacon rashers in a cross on top.
