Brunch is one of the best meals of the day; long and leisurely, and a great time to catch up with friends and family. So why not skip the long lineups at your local hotspot, and prepare a restaurant-worthy eggs Benedict at home? With luxurious toppings, fun add-ins and a few options for those petrified of poaching, here are 10 creative ways to make the best Benedict.
Bite-Sized Benedict
Looking for a light bite? Try offering your guests a petite eggs Benedict in devilled egg form as a brunch starter (or a fun appetizer for your next dinner party). For convenience, you can use packaged hollandaise if necessary, but why not win bragging rights by whipping up a batch from scratch to combine with your favourite devilled egg recipe?
Keep it Simple
You don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to impress your guests. These simply beautiful poached eggs with a hollandaise can be whipped up in 15-minutes. Salad and mimosas on the side wouldn’t hurt.
Giving Thanks
Can’t round up the whole family for Thanksgiving dinner this year? Celebrate together at brunch with this meal-in-one Benedict with stuffing cakes. To make the meal more traditional, you can roast a small turkey breast and offer slices for a taste of the big bird with half the fuss.
Seeing Green
Sneak an extra serving of vegetables into an indulgent brunch by adding mixed greens or mushrooms to your Benedict. A portobello mushroom cap substituted for an English muffin is a pretty way to keep all your ingredients neatly contained, and makes it simpler to dish out into individual portions.
Double The Eggs
What’s the perfect topping for eggs? More eggs, of course! Quail eggs topped with caviar make for a nice bite, with pickled vegetables adding some acidity. Keep things sophisticated with a crème fraiche and dill purée.
Leslie Wu is a Toronto-based food and travel writer, editor and explorer. Follow her on Twitter at @leslie_wu.
Avocado Rose Eggs Benedict
An Instagram-worthy Easter brunch is made easy-peasy with a quick blender Hollandaise. Be sure to use a perfectly fresh, yet slightly firm avocado; this will help create the signature rose shape.
Texas Eggs Benedict
They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and that includes brunch! This monster meal includes poached eggs, grilled steak, Texas toast, hollandaise and a black bean tomato relish.
Eggs-in-a-Hole Benedict with Roasted Garlic and Tomato Hollandaise
A homemade version of an egg McMuffin that, do we dare say, is better than the real thing. It may be because of the creamy roasted garlic hollandaise but we think eggy fried English muffin makes this hand-held Benedict the real deal.
Steak and Eggs Benedict with Spicy Hollandaise
Steak and eggs is a classic protein-packed breakfast combo made better when piled high on garlicky English muffins and smothered in adobo-spiced Hollandaise.
Hangover Easy Eggs Benedict Sandwich
For those lazy mornings when you’re craving something easy (and greasy) this simple sandwich is perfect. Mayo is the base for a tart, lemony sauce that offsets the fried, sunny side up egg. Opting for the fried egg over the poached is a no-brainer when you’re battling a headache before breakfast.
Eggs Benedict Breakfast Salad
Instead of serving salad on the side, bring all the elements together in a high-protein, low-calorie dish. Instead of hollandaise, this meal is coated in a zesty lemony dressing that completes this satisfying breakfast bowl.
Eggs Benedict Rx
Fighting the morning blues? We’ve got just the cure. A simple poached egg resting on a toasted English muffin and a thin piece of ham, covered in a buttery hollandaise sauce that starts with a splash of white wine. Pure decadence in 20 minutes flat.
Kale and Tomato Eggs Benedict
In this bright and modern version of the brunch-time classic, hollandaise is swapped for a zippy blender mustard-mayo, while bacon and shallot sauteed kale and tomato add fresh, bright flavours.
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict
A classic for a reason! Silky cured salmon is the star of this creamy dish that’s a must-order on any brunch menu. Poaching your eggs in a skillet means you’ll have just the right amount of water, with lots of room to cook eight eggs at once. You’ll get brunch on the table and into bellies, faster than you can say, ‘Order up!’.
Mushroom Benedict
Meaty mushrooms make for a tasty English muffin substitute in this delicious breakfast that includes garlicky spinach topped with a perfectly poached eggs, sprinkled with fresh Parmesan.