To kick off our Olympic “coverage” of dishes from around the world, we started in, of course, the USA! You could really say that this is the USA with a dash of Netherlands, since Hollandaise is involved, and it is said to have originated there. Although the Dutch seem to disagree with this conclusion. You can read more about that controversy here. ANYWAY, the point of this blog is not to dissect the battles over who created recipes. I LOVE eggs benedict. Actually, I like anything that deals with eggs, breakfast, and everything in between. You really don’t get any more American than eggs, english muffins, and canadian bacon all combined into an open faced sandwich. There is also a debate over who created Eggs Benedict here within the United States, but we are also not a blog about food history, so you can read about the discovery of Eggs Benedict here. I’ve decided to change this dish up just a tad. I’m sure you will be just as pleased as I was with the results. Go USA!



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Eggs Benedict is so much fun to make because you can really add any thing you want to it and make it your own! You can make your everyday eggs benedict with hollandaise and canadian bacon or you can go crazy and add tomato and avocado! Let’s be honest, avocado is a little “crazy.” Everyone can agree though, that you need poached eggs to make it a “true” benedict. I tend to like my eggs lightly poached, but for this recipe you can cook them anyway you like, as long as they are poached. For this recipe, I made my own english muffins. You can of course buy them if you’d like, but they are so incredibly easy to make, then why not make them!? I constructed my benedict by piling a layer of crispy prosciutto, the Kiwi-Mango Salsa from our Summertime Huevos Rancheros recipe, a poached egg, and Hollandaise. Serve with my Breakfast Potatoes with Red Potatoes and Turnips and you have yourself a real treat!

I decided to take a huge risk here, and pair this dish with a Black IPA. I know, I know, it sounds a little extreme, but I thought the bold flavors of a Black IPA would compliment this dish nicely. SURPRISE! It did! I decided to go with Rogue’s Dad’s Little Helper, which you can find almost any where in the United States, and is actually still on the shelves from Father’s Day! This beer is just so good. Beware, this beer is very hoppy at first taste, but after it sits on your tongue for just a minute or two the maltiness just overpowers the bitterness of the hops. The deep flavors of this dish are intensified by this beer. I know you are thinking…Beer and Eggs Benedict, really? Shouldn’t I just be drinking a mimosa? Of course, you could drink a mimosa, but this blog is about pairing food and beer, so we couldn’t just pair with any old cocktail. Please try it. You will not be disappointed!

P.S. This recipe has 3 recipes in 1. We will start with the English muffins, then the hollandaise, and right onto the construction of the dish. Don’t get scared. It’s all very easy. There are just a couple of more steps than normal. You can of course skip the English muffins recipe and use store bought, but I recommend making them yourself. It’s really easier than you think.

Please enjoy this classically American dish with a classically American brew.

Double boiled hollandaise cooking!

Eggs Benedict Finished!

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