Met a dear friend in California last summer to attend a conference. Following, tacked on a few delightful days visiting my lovely cousin. Among other fun activities, she and her family treated me to a coastal brunch at Wilma’s Patio on Balboa Island in Newport Beach. She and I ordered Eggs Benedict and weren’t disappointed. Such a wonderful treat.
After brunch, we strolled the boardwalk,
Saw beautiful sights on the water,
Admired the quaint, charming homes along the boardwalk.
Well just last week, the King Arthur’s Baker’s Catalogue arrived in my mailbox. So what’s on the cover, but Eggs Benedict. The feature recipe was for homemade english muffins, but the pictures reminded me of the fabulous dish we savored at Wilma’s Patio last summer.
There’s something elegant about Eggs Benedict, even the name. It’s fare for royalty. (Perfect for the likes of you and me!) I did a little research, and there’s apparently great speculation on the origin of the original Eggs Benedict recipe, which dates back to the 1800’s. Don’t know who gets the credit, noone really knows. I’m not so interested in that, just the next delicious forkful! So for the first time ever, I bought the simple ingredients this past weekend, tried my hand at making eggs benedict. It was fast and easy, worthy of breakfast, brunch, lunch, even a light dinner. My only regret is I didn’t make it earlier in my “career.” Jon loved it too.
Eggs Benedict is a simple dish, consisting of a toasted english muffin, layered with ham or bacon, then a poached or soft-cooked fried egg. Drench with hollandaise sauce, and garnish with chopped scallions. There are many eggs benedict versions, the one I made was meatless. I used a thick tomato slice in place of ham or bacon, and served with a side of roasted asparagus. Store bought english muffins and a hollandaise sauce mix kept it simple. It was also delicious! We had it for dinner. (Even lit the candles.)
Simple Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
- 4 english muffins split
- 8 eggs poached or fried over easy
- 1 packet hollandaise sauce mix prepared
- butter or mayonnaise
- 2 to matoes sliced into rounds
- salt and pepper
- optional: 8 slices pre-cooked ham or bacon
- optional: chopped scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare hollandaise sauce according to package directions.
- Cover, keep warm on stove.
- Toast english muffins.
- Lightly spread toasted muffins with butter or mayonnaise.
- Place tomato slices (or ham or bacon) on hot toasted muffins.
- Sprinkle tomatoes lightly with salt and pepper.
- Place poached or fried eggs on top of tomato rounds.
- Drench with warm hollandaise sauce.
- Garnish with chopped scallions if desired.
- Serve immediately, or keep for a short time in a warm oven.
nancy mcmahan says
I love these royal eggs. I need to remember to get the ingredients more often.
Linda Jenkins says
Love this. I will definitely try this one for Sunday breakfast. Now that I know I can fry the egg a bit, I am willing to eat it. Always thought the eggs were barely cooked. Thanks, Allie.
Christy says
What a royal treat!! I love how you made the meal healthier by adding the tomato and scallions on top together with asparagus. Food fare fit for a King! You take gorgeous pictures Allie…..a feast for the eyes. So enjoy reading about your adventures. 🙂
Julie says
You’ve done it again…taken something I already love and upped it a notch!! Beautiful AND scrumptious!!
Amie says
Just curious what brand of hollandaise sauce you use? I am looking for a change, as my kiddos are not loving the one I usually use. We have plenty of eggs now that we have chickens though, so I am always looking for good egg recipes.
Allie says
Did someone say CHICKENS??? So jealous Amie! Fresh eggs, yum. I’m very thankful to have friends that supply me with fresh eggs on occasion. So what brand….ummm…good question. I don’t remember. It was a packet in the gravy section, I just added butter and water to it. I’ll check next time I’m in the grocery store and get back to you. Sorry I wasn’t more helpful.
Aunt Margie says
All those pictures are familiar to me! What fun! We love it when you visit S. CA. and we get to peek in at you. My family treasured your visit, and sent ME to Wilma’s Patio! Yum!
Tracy says
Nice idea for Easter brunch.Thanks.You do take beautiful pictures!!!
Karen @ On the Banks of Salt Creek says
Wow! This post touched on two of my most favorite things….Balboa and Eggs Benedict. I was 3 going on 4 when we moved to Oregon from Anaheim CA. I moved back for my career in my early 20’s. I spent a lot of time in Balboa and Newport. A lot of fun was had there. I could move back to CA if they would just get rid of 90% of the people. Too crowded. Too much cement. But what wonderful weather.