Go Broncos!! 34-21 over the Georgia Bulldogs, Woof! And to celebrate I made these

And such a treat. The Hollandaise Sauce was made from scratch and the eggs were from a local farmer.

And then Robin asks, “What is the origin of Eggs Benedict? Benedict Arnold?” Good question. Here is at least one answer from History of Eggs Benedict

The History of Eggs Benedict

Will the real Benedict stand up.
There have been several

Charles Ranhofer
Eggs Benedict” – 1860s -Credit is given to Delmonico’s Restaurant, the very first restaurant or public dining room ever opened in the United States. In the 1860’s, a regular patron of the restaurant, Mrs. LeGrand Benedict, finding nothing to her liking and wanting something new to eat for lunch, discussed this with Delmonico’s Chef Charles Ranhofer (1836-1899),

Chef Charles Ranhofer
Ranhofer came up with Eggs Benedict. He has a recipe called Eggs a’ la Benedick (Eufa a’ la Benedick) in his cookbook called The Epicurean published in 1894.:Eggs à la Benedick – Cut some muffins in halves crosswise, toast them without allowing to brown, then place a round of cooked ham an eighth of an inch thick and of the same diameter as the muffins one each half. Heat in a moderate oven and put a poached egg on each toast. Cover the whole with Hollandaise sauce.
OR ……………..

Commodore E.C. Benedict
Craig Claiborne, in September 1967, wrote a column in The New York Times Magazine about a letter he had received from Edward P. Montgomery, an American then residing in France. In it, Montgomery related that the dish was created by Commodore E.C. Benedict, a banker and yachtsman, who died in 1920 at the age of 86. Montgomery also included a recipe for eggs Benedict, stating that the recipe had been given to him by his mother, who had received it from her brother, who was a friend of the Commodore.[3]

Elizabeth David
Another origin of the dish is suggested in Elizabeth David’s, French Provincial Cooking, where she describes a traditional French dish named œufs bénédictine, consisting of brandade (a puree of refreshed salt cod and potatoes), spread on triangles of fried bread. A poached egg is then set on top and napped with hollandaise. This story would also explain the distinctly French syntax, where the adjective follows, rather than precedes, the noun (although Oysters Rockefeller has the same syntax without needing a Romance-language origin). No one knows how this dish got to America but If Charles Ranhofer could have known of the œufs bénédictine and thought of the coincidence of the LeGrande’s request and merged the two. Brilliant! The Canadian bacon or ham is probably preferred to the Salt Cod by MOST!

Mrs. Isabella Beeton
Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (Oxford World’s Classics) had recipes in the first edition (1861) for “Dutch sauce, for benedict” (p. 405) and its variant on the following page, “Green sauce, or Hollandaise verte”, This gives me the idea that this belonged to the salt cod, That Mrs. David writes about. This would have been the perfect Lent or Friday Catholic dish as well so would have been popular.

Interesting information. Then there is always the question on how to make the sauce that goes over the eggs. It is called Hollandaise Sauce, which in The Sauce Bible by David Paul Larousse, is also called a Dutch Sauce. Here is one recipe by Tyler Florence, the one we use, Hollandaise Sauce.

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
Pinch cayenne
Pinch salt

Directions
Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. 

Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. 

Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

There is one recipe. If one Googles “recipe for classic dutch sauce” you will get this, among many others. Dutch Food – Hollandaise Sauce.

Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise sauce was made famous by the French, but some historians believe that it was, in fact, a Dutch creation, which was taken back to France by the Huguenots. It goes exceedingly well with asparagus, but is also excellent with delicate flavors like fish.

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
4 tbsp dry white wine (e.g. Pinot Blanc d’ Alsace)
1 cup melted butter (100 g)
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt and white pepper

Preparation:
In a small saucepan, beat egg yolks and wine until foamy. Place on a low heat and beat continuously until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and add melted butter in a thin trickle, while continuing to whisk. Add nutmeg, lemon juice, salt and white pepper. Whisk again before serving.

Have fun with these. Both of these sauces are classics and should be in every ones, who likes to work in a kitchen, recipe file. Enjoy!

There is one sauce that is related to the Hollandaise Sauce and the is the Béarnaise Sauce. Here is some information on Béarnaise Sauce.

Béarnaise sauce (French: Sauce béarnaise) is a sauce made of clarified butter emulsified in egg yolks and flavored with herbs. It is considered to be a ‘child’ of the mother Hollandaise sauce, one of the five sauces in the French haute cuisine mother sauce repertoire. The difference is only in their flavoring: Béarnaise uses shallot, chervil, peppercorn, and tarragon, while Hollandaise uses lemon juice. Its name is related to the province of Béarn, France.

In appearance it is light yellow and opaque, smooth and creamy. Béarnaise is a traditional sauce for steak.

History
The sauce was likely first created by the chef Collinet, the inventor of puffed potatoes (pommes de terre soufflées), and served at the 1836 opening of Le Pavillon Henri IV, a restaurant at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, not far from Paris. Evidence for this is reinforced by the fact that the restaurant was named for Henry IV of France, a gourmet himself, who was born in the former province of Béarn.

And here is a recipe for the Béarnaise Sauce.

Source: Bearnaise Sauce
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
7 ounces Unsalted Butter, melted
¼ c very finely chopped Shallots
2 T finely chopped fresh Tarragon
¼ c White Wine Vinegar
¼ c White Wine
3 Egg Yolks
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
To clarify butter, melt it over low heat without stirring. Once it has melted remove from heat and skim off the solids floating on top.

Place shallots, tarragon, vinegar and wine on medium heat and boil for about 5 minutes. Strain the reduction – you should end up with about 2 tablespoons of liquid.

Set up a double boiler arrangement with a Pyrex bowl and a saucepan. Place the egg yolks in the bowl and whisk in the reduced vinegar. Place bowl in pan of simmering water and cook, whisking continually, until mixture thickens – about five minutes.

Remove from heat and very slowly whisk in clarified butter. Whisk in salt and pepper to taste.