April 16 National Eggs Benedict Day #EggsBenedictDay is a new Holiday for you to share with your friends and family. Now, I have a question for you. Have you ever had Egg Benedicts because Charlie and I haven’t and honestly I don’t think I want to try Egg’s Benedicts and before you ask about David I’m not sure if he has had them or not. But your welcome to ask him.
National Eggs Benedict Day is on April 16th a holiday all about the special American dish consisting of a Poached Egg, an English muffin, and Canadian Bacon covered in Hollandaise Sauce and it’s surrounded by a misconception. Some have assumed that the name originated from Benedict Arnold, the American Revolutionary War traitor, but its origins are a lot more complicated than they appear.
Here is a fun tip for you. Eggs Benedits have multiple stories about who first invented Eggs Benedict and one of the earliest was in the Eighteenth Century. Pope Benedict XII was obsessed with Eggs. Pope Benedict XII loved one Egg dish so much that he repeatedly ordered it on a consistent basis. It was said that despite his illness, he still had cravings for Egg Benedicts and his love for this Egg dish never diminished. From that point on, his name and the dish were bound to one another.
Another story claims that Eggs Benedict came about in 1894 when a Wall Street broker named Lemuel Benedict created Egg Benedicts in an attempt to rid himself of a hangover. . Pope Benedict XII was staying at the Waldorf Hotel and he ordered buttered Toast, poached Eggs, Bacon, and Hollandaise Sauce in hopes of concocting a remedy. The Chef at the restaurant, Oscar Tschirky, was so impressed with the dish that he added it to the menu and named it after Lemuel Benedict.
In 1967, yet another origin story was created for Eggs Benedict. A man named Edward P. Montgomery wrote a letter to The New York Times Magazine with information about the man responsible for the dish prior to his death in 1920.,Edward P. Montgomery named Commodore E.C. Benedict as the inventor and that the recipe from his mother, thus further complicating the true origins of the dish.
Today, there are a plethora of ways to make Eggs Benedict that vary by location. Eggs Benedict seen a change from Canadian Bacon to regular Bacon and from English Muffins to Toast, but the concept very much remains the same. With brunch culture on the rise and food bloggers going strong in the modern age, Eggs Benedict is as popular as ever, no matter who actually created it.
NATIONAL EGGS BENEDICT DAY ACTIVITIES
- Experiment with your own style of Eggs Benedict. You can use your favorite Toast or English Muffin, use flavored Bacon, and use your favorite brand of Hollandaise Sauces with Seasonings like Salt, White Pepper, and Cayenne Pepper. Make sure you name your creation.
- If you really want to gain an appreciation for the dish, take the extra step and learn how to make Eggs Benedict from scratch
Information ABOUT NATIONAL EGGS BENEDICT DAY
- The longevity of the dish is attributed to the fact that substitute ingredients are easy to find in many different Countries.
- Hollandaise Sauce is one of the five mother sauces that provide the foundation for hundreds of different Sauces.
- There’s a variation made in honor of Pope Benedict XVI that uses German ingredients like Rye Bread and Sausage.
- Poached Eggs are Eggs that are cooked outside of the shell and yield more delicately cooked Eggs than cooking at higher temperatures..
Recipe for Eggs Benedict
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 to 3 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, to suit your taste
- 1 tablespoon water
- ⅛ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon hot water, or more as needed (Optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Eggs Benedict:
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 8 eggs
- 8 strips Canadian-style bacon
- 4 English muffins, split
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
Directions
1. To make the Hollandaise: Whisk egg yolks, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of water, Worcestershire sauce, and white pepper in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Add melted butter, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, while whisking yolks constantly. If Hollandaise begins to get too thick, add a teaspoon or two of hot water. Continue whisking until all of the butter is incorporated. Whisk in salt, then remove from heat. Place a lid on the pan to keep sauce warm.
2. To poach the eggs: Fill a large saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, pour in vinegar, and keep water at a gentle simmer. Crack an egg into a small bowl then gently slip egg into simmering water, holding the bowl just above the surface of water. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Cook eggs until whites are firm and yolks have thickened but are not hard, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon, dab on a kitchen towel to remove excess water, and place onto a warm plate
3. Meanwhile, set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven’s broiler. Brown bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Toast English muffins on a baking sheet under the preheated broiler.
5. To serve eggs Benedict: Spread toasted muffins with softened butter and top each one with a slice of bacon, followed by one poached egg. Place 2 muffins on each plate and drizzle with Hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
