Perfectly Poached Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict is a breakfast favorite in my house. The combination of a freshly toasted English muffin, warm slices of Canadian bacon, and a perfectly poached egg all smothered in Hollandaise sauce makes for a deliciously satisfying way to start your day. But there's one part of this equation that can be terribly intimidating - the perfectly poached egg part. I'm hear to tell you, don't fret! After facing much fear and intimidation of my own, I finally faced the challenge and conquered, all thanks to Julia Child's method for poaching eggs. 

I used to be fascinated by the poached eggs I would see in restaurants. It was like some secret magical skill that I wrote off as unachievable. So I was left to use one of those poached egg pans which was a pain to clean and always left my eggs somewhat lacking. I decided to face my fears and just try to poach an egg the real way, it a pot of boiling water. What was the worst that could happen? I'm proud to say that on the first try, my egg came out beautiful and tasty. It was the perfect poached egg. I'm so excited by my accomplishment that I feel like I must share this with you. Here's what you need to do.

Fresh eggs work the best for poaching because they tend to stay together tighter in the water, and let's face it - why wouldn't you always use fresh eggs if you have them available? Start by poking a hole in the end of the egg, where the air pocket is. I use a safety pin and hold it steady while hitting the top just hard enough to penetrate the shell. But be careful, don't let the pin go all the way in or you'll puncture the yolk. I learned this the hard way. Next just drop the egg, shell and all, in boiling water for 12 seconds. Pull it out with a slotted spoon and let it sit until it's cool enough to touch. Then crack the egg into a small bowl. You'll see how the egg whites have begun to cook ever so slightly. This is Julia Child's secret to keeping the egg whites together when placed in the water for poaching, and eliminates the need for vinegar and constant swirling.

Here comes the actual poaching part. Make sure your water is simmering, but is not too vigorous of a boil. Swirl the water with a spoon to get a good whirlpool started and slide the egg out of the bowl and into the eye of the whirlpool. Since you've boiled the egg in it's shell first, you don't necessarily have to swirl the water, but I found that it helps keep the egg a little tighter and rounder when it first begins to cook. If you're not swirling you can also drop more than one egg in at a time, fitting however many your pot will allow. Once the eggs are in, just simply sit back and wait. I found that 4 minutes is the perfect time if you like your yolks soft and a little runny. After 4 minutes, simply scoop the eggs out with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to get any excess water off of them. And voila - now you have perfectly poached eggs!

Ingredients:

• 2 English muffins, halved
• 4 slices of Canadian bacon
• 4 fresh large eggs
• 1 packet of Hollandaise sauce (I know, it's from a packet, but I think the Knorr brand tastes the best and I have yet to find anything better.)
• Paprika for garnish

Directions:

1. While eggs are being poached (see above), toast the English muffins.
2. Place the Canadian bacon in a pan and cook until heated throughout.
3. In the meantime, cook the Hollandaise sauce according to package directions.
4. Once eggs are cooked, layer one slice of Canadian bacon and one egg on top of each English muffin half.
5. Smother with Hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with paprika. Serves 2. Enjoy!