Eggs Benedict

Make the hollandaise first — it will hold warm while you poach. Place a large bowl over a pot of barely simmering water (the bottom of the bowl must not touch the water). Add the egg yolks and a tablespoon of water. Whisk constantly and vigorously, moving the bowl on and off the heat so the yolks warm gently rather than scramble — 3–5 minutes until they become thick, pale and ribbon-like and you can see the bottom of the bowl through the whisk trails. Remove from the heat. Begin adding the warm clarified butter in a thin, slow drizzle, whisking constantly. The sauce will emulsify and thicken with each addition. Once half the butter is in and the sauce looks thick and glossy, you can add the rest in a faster stream. Season with lemon juice, salt, white pepper and cayenne. Keep warm by setting the bowl over the pot of hot (but not simmering) water with the heat off.

Fill a wide, shallow saucepan with water to a depth of about 8cm. Add the white wine vinegar (it helps the whites cohere) and bring to a bare simmer — 82–85°C, just below a boil with small bubbles rising from the bottom, not a rolling boil. Crack each egg into a small cup. Stir the water gently to create a slow vortex and slip the egg into the center — the swirling water wraps the white around the yolk. Cook 3–4 minutes for a runny yolk. Lift with a slotted spoon and touch the white — it should be fully set but the yolk should wobble like a water balloon. Drain on a folded towel. If making all four at once, use a wide pan and work quickly. You can keep poached eggs in warm water up to 30 minutes.

While the eggs poach, heat a dry pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Sear the Canadian bacon slices for 2 minutes per side until lightly caramelized at the edges and warmed through. Simultaneously toast the English muffin halves — cut-side down in the same pan, or under a broiler — until golden and slightly crisp at the surface. The slight crunch of the muffin is structural: it prevents the egg's liquid yolk from immediately soaking through and making a soggy base.

Work quickly — everything should be hot simultaneously. Place two toasted muffin halves on each plate, cut-side up. Layer a slice of warm Canadian bacon on each half. Use a slotted spoon to carefully lift a poached egg, dab the bottom briefly on a folded kitchen towel to remove excess water, and set one egg on each bacon slice. Spoon hollandaise generously over each egg — it should pool around the base and cascade down the muffin. Finish with a dusting of cayenne or paprika. Serve with no delay.