Eggs Benedict Explained

Eggs Benedict
Country:	United States
Region:	New York City
Course:	Breakfast, brunch
Main Ingredient:	English muffin, Canadian bacon, eggs, Hollandaise sauce
Variations:	Multiple

Eggs Benedict is a common American breakfast or brunch dish, consisting of two halves of an English muffin, each topped with Canadian bacon,^[1] a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. It was popularized in New York City.

Origin and history

There are conflicting accounts as to the origin of eggs Benedict.

Delmonico's in Lower Manhattan says on its menu that "Eggs Benedict was first created in our ovens in 1860."^[2] One of its former chefs, Charles Ranhofer, also published the recipe for Eggs à la Benedick in 1894.^[3]

In an interview recorded in the "Talk of the Town" column of The New Yorker in 1942, the year before his death,^[4] Lemuel Benedict, a retired Wall Street stock broker, said that he had wandered into the Waldorf Hotel in 1894 and, hoping to find a cure for his morning hangover, ordered "buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise". Oscar Tschirky, the maître d'hôtel, was so impressed with the dish that he put it on the breakfast and luncheon menus but substituted ham for the bacon and a toasted English muffin for the toast.^[5]

A later claim to the creation of eggs Benedict was circuitously made by Edward P. Montgomery on behalf of Commodore E. C. Benedict. In 1967 Montgomery wrote a letter to then The New York Times food columnist Craig Claiborne, which included a recipe he said he had received through his uncle, a friend of the commodore. Commodore Benedict's recipe—by way of Montgomery—varies greatly from Ranhofer's version, particularly in the hollandaise sauce preparation—calling for the addition of a "hot, hard-cooked egg and ham mixture".^[6]

Variations

Many variations of eggs Benedict exist, involving replacing any component except the egg:

• Avocado toast eggs Benedict – substitutes toast in place of the muffin and adds sliced avocado.^[7]
• California eggs Benedict – adds sliced Hass avocado. Variations may include sliced tomato instead of Canadian bacon.^[8]
• Eggs Atlantic^[9] – substitutes salmon which may be smoked, in place of Canadian bacon.^[9]
• Eggs Balmoral – substitutes haggis in place of Canadian bacon.^[10]
• Eggs Blackstone – substitutes streaky bacon in place of Canadian bacon and adds a tomato slice.^[11]
• Eggs Blanchard – substitutes béchamel sauce in place of Hollandaise.^[12]
• Eggs Chesapeake (crab eggs Benedict, crab cakes Benedict) – substitutes a Maryland blue crab cake in place of Canadian bacon.^{[13] [14]}
• Eggs Cochon (eggs cochon de lait) – substitutes pork "debris" (slow roasted pork shredded in its own juices) in place of Canadian bacon, buttermilk biscuit in place of the English muffin. Served in New Orleans restaurants.^{[15] [16]}
• Eggs Florentine – adds spinach, sometimes substituted in place of the Canadian bacon.^[17] Older versions of eggs Florentine add spinach to poached or shirred eggs.
• Eggs Hebridean – a Scottish variety, substitutes black pudding in place of the Canadian bacon.^[18]
• Eggs Hussarde – substitutes Holland rusks in place of the English muffin and adds Bordelaise sauce.^{[19] [20]}
• Eggs Mornay – substitutes Mornay sauce in place of the Hollandaise.^[21]
• Eggs Neptune – substitutes crab meat in place of Canadian bacon.^[22]
• Eggs Omar (steak Benedict) – substitutes a small steak in place of Canadian bacon and sometimes replaces the Hollandaise with béarnaise.^{[23] [24]}
• Eggs Trivette – adds Creole mustard to the Hollandaise and a topping of crayfish.^[25]
• Eggs Woodhouse – includes two eggs and artichoke hearts, creamed spinach, bechamel sauce, Iberico ham, black truffle and beluga caviar. The recipe is featured in the book How To Archer, inspired by the television series Archer on FXX.^[26]
• Eggs Zenedict – adds toasted scone and peameal bacon smothered in sundried tomato Hollandaise. A specialty of restaurants in the defunct Canadian retail chain Zellers.^[27]
• Huevos Benedictos – adds sliced avocado or Mexican chorizo, topped with salsa (such as Spanish; Castilian: [[Salsa (sauce)#Types|salsa roja]] or Spanish; Castilian: [[Salsa (sauce)#Types|salsa brava]]) and Hollandaise sauce.^[28]
• Irish Benedict – substitutes corned beef or Irish bacon in place of Canadian bacon.^[29]
• New Jersey Benedict – substitutes Taylor pork roll in place of Canadian bacon.^[30]

See also

• List of breakfast foods
• List of brunch foods
• List of egg dishes
• List of foods named after people
• List of regional dishes of the United States

External links

• “Was He the Eggman?” An account in The New York Times about Lemuel Benedict and the efforts of Jack Benedict, the son of Lemuel's first cousin, to promote Lemuel's story. Article includes link to an audio slide show.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Classic Eggs Benedict . May 1, 2020 . Ash . John . October 22, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201022122510/https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/classic-Eggs-benedict . dead .
2. Web site: Delmonico's Menu. Delmonico's Restaurant. 2016-09-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20160927081231/http://www.delmonicosrestaurant.com/menus.html. 2016-09-27. dead.
3. Web site: The epicurean—A complete treatise of analytical and practical studies on the culinary art, including table and wine service, how to prepare and cook dishes, etc., and a selection of interesting bills of fare of Delmonico's from 1862 to 1894 . The Internet Archive . 2014-04-17.
4. Web site: Eggs Benedict New York: Feedback . February 23, 2007 . Benedict . Cutts . https://web.archive.org/web/19981201223133/http://www.echonyc.com/~jkarpf/eggs/feedback.html#lemuel . December 1, 1998 .
5. News: December 19, 1942 . Talk of the Town . . Notes: This hasn't been verified at the source, but is instead taken from the letter to Karpf by Cutts Benedict and the page of J. J. Schnebel.
6. News: Claiborne . Craig . American Classic: Eggs Benedict. . September 9, 1967 . 2014-04-17.
7. Web site: Hardesty. Kim. Avocado on Toast with Poached Egg and Blender Hollandaise. nd. November 9, 2021. Low Carb Maven.
8. Web site: Rhee. Chungah. California Eggs Benedict. May 8, 2012. November 9, 2021. Damn Delicious.
9. Web site: The Legend of Eggs Halifax. Shelf5. June 1, 2021. November 9, 2021.
10. Web site: Menus. November 9, 2021. The Cricklade Club.
11. Book: Rombauer, Irma S. . Irma S. Rombauer . Marion Rombauer Becker . Illustrated by Ginnie Hofmann and Ikki Matsumoto . . 1975 . 1st Scribner 1995 . 1995 . . New York, New York . 0-02-604570-2 . 222 . Egg Dishes . Here the recipe is called poached eggs Blackstone. It uses a fried slice of flour-dipped tomato, minced bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise. No bread for base.
12. Book: Hirtzler. Victor. The 1910 Hotel St. Francis cook book. 1988. Windgate Press. Sausalito, California. 978-0915269068. 1st.
13. Web site: Eggs Chesapeake. November 9, 2021. Thomas Breads.
14. Web site: Roma. Cathy. Crab Eggs Benedict. May 10, 2019. November 9, 2021. What Should I Make For....
15. http://eatyourworld.com/destinations/united_states/louisiana/new_orleans/what_to_eat/eggs_cochon_de_lait "Eggs Cochon du Lait"
16. http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/five-places-for-great-cochon-de-lait/Content?oid=1278937 "Five places for great cochon du lait"
17. News: Rich mix of patrons makes Moto's special . . A/6 . December 18, 1986 . ... eggs Florentine ($3.95), eggs poached and topped with Hollandaise sauce, served on spinach and English muffin.
18. Web site: Claire. Eggs Atlantic with a Florentine Twist. December 21, 2018. November 9, 2021. Sprinkles & Sprouts.
19. Book: DeMers, John . Food photography by John Hay . Food of New Orleans: Authentic Recipes from the Big Easy . 1st . 1998 . . Boston . 962-593-227-5 . 44 .
20. Web site: Recipes – Eggs Hussarde . September 28, 2016 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20060206235002/http://brennansneworleans.com/r_eggshussarde.html . February 6, 2006 . New Orleans, Louisiana.
21. News: Claiborne . Craig . Craig Claiborne . Maligned Vegetable Has Loyal Fans . . 28 . May 26, 1960 .
22. Web site: Eggs Neptune in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina . 13 April 2021 . Zimmer . Erin . April 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210414074025/https://www.seriouseats.com/2008/06/eggs-neptune-in-wrightsville-beach-north-caro-1.html . dead .
23. Web site: Vaughan. Kelly. The Ultimate Guide to Making Eggs Benedict at Home. April 29, 2020. November 9, 2021. Martha Stewart.
24. Web site: Lau. Sue. Steak Benedict. March 20, 2016. November 9, 2021. Palatable Pastime.
25. Web site: Eggs Trivette . Shawnda . March 23, 2013 . The Brewer & The Baker.
26. Web site: Eggs Woodhouse for Good from Archer. December 13, 2016. November 9, 2021. Binging with Babish.
27. Web site: Zellers Diner. November 9, 2021. Zellers Diner food pages.
28. Web site: Huevos Benedictos. Instructables.
29. Web site: Irish Eggs Benedict – Low Carb . February 13, 2020. November 9, 2021. April Golightly.
30. Web site: Shelton. Jay. Steps to Make Ultimate Toast with Eggs Benedict and Baked Beans. July 8, 2020. November 9, 2021. Most Popular Recipes.