Eggs Benedict: A Great Way to Ring in the New Year

Holiday mornings are great days for brunch. You want to sleep late, but want also to have something special to get the day started. So, tomorrow morning, to greet 2007, we'll have Eggs Benedict to start the year right. Here are some ideas to make this favorite of brunch dishes even more delicious.




Of course, the traditional Eggs Benedict calls for a toasted English muffin topped with a slice of Canadian bacon and a perfectly poached egg and then covered with Hollandaise sauce. (I confess...I buy my Hollandaise sauce in a jar or make it from a mix. Maybe someday I'll learn how to make it from scratch and share it with you here!)


But there are countless variations you can try. The one constant is that poached egg...

• Instead of Canadian bacon, try prosciutto. Or for a Southern twist, a nice slice of ham.
• Use crab meat or shrimp (or even lobster!) on top of the muffin before you add the egg. Or even replace the meat AND the English muffin with a crab cake.
• Stay away from meat and use steamed spinach (make sure you've drained the liquid away so the muffin stays crisp) as a base for the egg and sauce. (Also known as Eggs Florentine.) Or for those watching their carbs, do away with the muffin and meat altogether and serve a poached egg on a bed of the spinach.
• I even went so far as to build a delicious Eggs Benedict this way: muffin, egg, fried oyster, Hollandaise. I felt like I HAD to be in New Orleans!
• And I've always wanted to try combining two of my breakfast favorites by having Eggs Benedict on smoked salmon. Hmmm....maybe a bagel instead of English muffin!

Try your favorites in creative variations. Whether you go the traditional route or make it your own, you'll love treating yourself to this brunch classic.