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'''Eggs Benedict''' is a dish that consists of a half of a muffin, topped with [[ham]] or [[bacon]], [[poached egg]]s, and [[hollandaise sauce]].
'''Eggs Benedict''' is a dish that consists of a half of a muffin, topped with [[ham]] or [[bacon]], [[poached egg]]s, and [[hollandaise sauce]].


==Origin==
There are differing accounts as to the origin of eggs Benedict.


In an interview in the "Talk of the Town" column of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' in 1942, the year before his death,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.echonyc.com/~jkarpf/eggs/feedback.html#lemuel | title = Eggs Benedict New York: Feedback | accessdate = 2007-02-23 | last = Benedict | first = Cutts | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/19981201223133/http://www.echonyc.com/~jkarpf/eggs/feedback.html#lemuel | archivedate = 1998-12-01 }}</ref> Lemuel Benedict, a retired Wall Street stock broker, claimed that he had wandered into the [[Waldorf-Astoria Hotel| Waldorf Hotel]] in 1894 and, hoping to find a cure for his morning hangover, ordered "buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon and a [[wiktionary:Hooker|hooker]] of hollandaise." [[Oscar Tschirky]], the ''[[maître d'hôtel]]'' and legendary "Oscar of the Waldorf," was so impressed with the dish that he put it on the breakfast and luncheon menus but substituted ham and a toasted [[English muffin]] for the bacon and toast.<ref name = newyorker1942>{{Citation | last = | first = | author-link = | year = 1942 | date = December 19, 1942 | title = Talk of the Town | periodical = [[The New Yorker]] | pages = }} '''Notes:''' ''This hasn't been verified at the source, but is instead taken from the letter to Karpf by Cutts Benedict and the page of J.J. Schnebel.''</ref>

[[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.<ref name = claiborne1967>{{Citation | last = Claiborne | first = Craig | author-link = Craig Claiborne | title = American Classic: Eggs Benedict | newspaper = [[The New York Times Magazine]] | pages = 290 | year = 1967 | date = September 24, 1967 | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40B13FB3B5F16738DDDAD0A94D1405B878AF1D3 | accessdate = 2007-02-19 }}</ref>

Mabel C. Butler of Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts in a November 1967 letter printed in ''The New York Times Magazine'' responded to Montgomery's claim by correcting that the "true story, well known to the relations of Mrs. Le Grand Benedict", of whom she was one, was:
<blockquote>Mr. and Mrs. Benedict, when they lived in New York around the turn of the century, dined every Saturday at [[Delmonico's Restaurant| Delmonico's]]. One day Mrs. Benedict said to the ''maitre d' hotel'', "Haven't you anything new or different to suggest?" On his reply that he would like to hear something from her, she suggested poached eggs on toasted English muffins with a thin slice of ham, hollandaise sauce and a [[Tuber (genus)|truffle]] on top.<ref name = butler1967>{{Citation | last = Butler | first = Mabel C. | title = Letters: Benedicts' Eggs | newspaper = [[The New York Times Magazine]] | pages = SM40 | year = 1967 | date = November 26, 1967 | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F1061FF63D5814728FDDAF0A94D9415B878AF1D3 | accessdate = 2007-02-23 }}</ref></blockquote>

However, the most likely 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. Still, it is not clear how this dish would have migrated to America, where it became popular.<ref>{{cite book | last = David | first = Elizabeth | authorlink = Elizabeth David | title = [[French Provincial Cooking]] | origyear = 1960 | edition = Penguin Cookery Library | year = 1970 | publisher = [[Penguin Group| Penguin]] | location = New York, NY | isbn = 0-14-046-783-1 | pages = 524 | chapter = Eggs, Cheese Dishes, and Hot Hors-d'oeuvres }}</ref> The combination of cod and eggs suggests it was a [[Fasting and abstinence in the Roman Catholic Church|Lenten or meatless dish]], and the use of salt cod suggests it could be as old as the Renaissance, when [[Dried and salted cod|salt cod]] became more plentiful.


==Variations==
==Variations==

Revision as of 05:46, 26 December 2008

Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict
Main ingredientsEggs, English Muffin, Ham or Bacon and Hollandaise sauce
VariationsMultiple

Eggs Benedict is a dish that consists of a half of a muffin, topped with ham or bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce.


Variations

Many variations on the traditional eggs Benedict are available in some restaurants or locations. With the exception of the Egg McMuffin, none of these are as widely known as eggs Benedict.

  • Eggs Florentine substitutes spinach for the ham. [4][5][6] Older versions of eggs Florentine add spinach to poached or stirred eggs Mornay – eggs covered in Mornay sauce.[7]
  • Salmon Benedict (Also known as Eggs Pacifica, Eggs Montreal, Eggs Royal or Eggs Royale) replaces the bacon with smoked salmon.
  • Pacific Northwest Eggs Benedict Poached Egg over Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon on a Toasted English Muffin Covered with Hollandaise Sauce. Can also substitute Dungeness Crab Cakes for English Muffin.
  • Eggs Sardou substitutes artichoke bottoms and crossed anchovy fillets for the English muffin and ham, then tops the hollandaise sauce with chopped ham and a truffle slice. The dish was created at Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans in honor of the French playwright Victorien Sardou.[11][12][13] A more widespread version of the dish starts with a base of creamed spinach, substitutes artichoke bottoms for the English muffin, and drops the ham.[8][14][15]
  • Eggs Chesapeake replaces bacon with crabcake.
  • Dutch Benedict replaces the ham or bacon with scrapple. Popular in the eastern region of Pennsylvania.
  • Veggie Benedict replaces the bacon with avocado and tomato.
  • The McDonald's Egg McMuffin was created by Herb Peterson, a McDonald's franchisee, in 1972. As a friend of Ray Kroc's, he knew that Kroc liked eggs Benedict. Peterson sought to create a "poor man's version" by replacing the hollandaise with a slice of American cheese. To cook the eggs, Peterson paid a local blacksmith $90 to make a batch of Teflon coated rings.[25] Mainly due to the success of the Egg McMuffin, McDonald's had a monopoly on the fast-food breakfast market until the mid-1980s.[26]
  • Waffle Benedict replaces the English muffins with a full waffle. It is commonly topped with maple syrup in addition to the hollandaise.
  • Eggs Benedict Arnold replaces the English muffin with a biscuit and the hollandaise with country gravy, and also cooks the poached egg longer, so that the yolk is fully cooked.
  • Eggs Pope Benedict substitutes German pumpernickel bread for the muffin and German Bratwurst Sausage for the Bacon. It was created when Benedict the XVI Became Pope in 2005.

Timeline of published references

Dates given refer to date of publication.

1898 — In Eggs, and how to use them, a recipe for eggs Benedict is given as "split and toast some small muffins; put on each a nice round slice of broiled ham, and on the ham the poached egg; pour over some Hollandaise sauce"[27]

1900 — In The Connecticut Magazine: an Illustrated Monthly, Volume VI, a recipe for eggs Benedict is given as "A third variety is called Eggs Benedict. Broil a thin slice of cold-boiled ham cut the size of a small baker's loaf; toast a slice of bread, butter it and moisten with a little water; lay the ham on it and on that a poached egg. Serve individually."[28]

1907 — In Many Ways for Cooking Eggs, a recipe for eggs Benedict is given that starts with the muffins. Unlike yeast leavened English muffins, the recipe muffins use baking powder and beaten egg whites for leavening; however, they are still baked on a griddle in muffin rings. The remainder of the recipe reads "Broil thin slices of ham. Make a sauce Hollandaise. Chop a truffle. Poach the required number of eggs. Dish the muffins, put a square of ham on each, then a poached egg and cover each egg nicely with sauce Hollandaise. Dust with truffle and serve at once."[29]

1914 — In the 1914 printing of the The Neighborhood Cook Book, a recipe for eggs Benedict is given as "Place a slightly fried piece of ham on a piece of toast, place poached egg on ham, and pour over all a Hollandaise sauce."[30]

1918 — In the 1918 printing of the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, a recipe for Eggs à la Benedict is given as "Split and toast English muffins. Sauté circular pieces of cold boiled ham, place these over the halves of muffins, arrange on each a dropped egg, and pour around Hollandaise Sauce II, diluted with cream to make of such consistency to pour easily."[31]

1919 — In The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book, a recipe for eggs Benedict is given as "Cut an English muffin in two, toast, and put on platter. Put a slice of broiled ham on top of each half, a poached egg on top of the ham, cover all with Hollandaise, and lay a slice of truffle on top of the sauce."[32]

1938 — An advertisement for Haill Hayden's Hollandaise — a bottled hollandaise sold in a 6 ounce jar for 50¢ — runs in The New York Times. "Here is a sauce such as no man has had before. On tasting it, great chefs have broken their egg-beaters over their knees and wept in jealousy! It is made of butter fragrant from timothy and alfalfa, eggs to which their mothers are still clucking at this hour, lemon and pungent spices! It is not profaned with a drop of oil or any substitutes. Serve it over cauliflower, artichokes, lettuce, eggs Benedict, fish, singing 'Broccoli, Broccoli,' as you eat".[33]

1942 — In an interview in The New Yorker, Lemuel Benedict claims to have originated the dish with an order at the Waldorf Hotel, hoping for a hangover cure.[34]

1960 — Elizabeth David publishes a work on French provincial cooking that describes an almost identical traditional dish named œufs bénédictine.

1967 — Craig Claiborne writes in The New York Times Magazine that Edward P. Montgomery wrote him a letter to say that eggs Benedict originated with Commodore E.C. Benedict.[35]

1967 — In a letter printed in The New York Times Magazine, Mabel C. Butler responds to Montgomery's claim by stating that Mrs. Le Grand Benedict originated the dish with an order at Delmonico's.[36] Later editions of Charles Ranhofer’s cookbook The Epicurean contain a recipe for “Eggs à la Benedick”;[37] however, the recipe is not present in the original 1894 edition.[38] Save for a hiatus from 1876 to 1879, Charles Ranhofer was the chef at Delmonico's from 1862 till his retirement in 1896.

Notes

^ *: Although rare in Ireland itself, corned beef and cabbage is the iconic Irish-American dish,[39] with over half of the 47 million pounds of corned beef sold annually in the United States sold in the two weeks prior to Saint Patrick's Day.[40]

References

  1. ^ Rombauer, Irma S. (1995) [1975]. "Egg Dishes". The Joy of Cooking. Illustrated by Ginnie Hofmann and Ikki Matsumoto (1st Scribner Edition 1995 ed.). New York, NY: Scribner. p. 222. ISBN 0-02-604570-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) Notes: Title of recipe is poached eggs Blackstone. Uses fried slice of flour dipped tomato, minced bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise. No bread for base.
  2. ^ "The Heritage House - Menu". Archived from the original on 2006-05-01. Retrieved 2007-02-26. Eggs Blackstone, poached eggs served with house made English muffin, apple smoked bacon, tomatoes and hollandaise. Notes: Located in Mendocino, California.
  3. ^ "Rulloff's - Sunday Brunch Menu". Archived from the original on 2005-11-09. Retrieved 2007-02-26. Eggs Blackstone poached eggs over crispy bacon and thin sliced tomatoes on a toasted english muffin, with hollandaise sauce Notes: Located in Ithaca, New York.
  4. ^ "Rich mix of patrons makes Moto's special", The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution, pp. A/6, December 18, 1986{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) “eggs Florentine ($3.95), eggs poached and topped with Hollandaise sauce, served on spinach and English muffin” Notes: Not directly verified. Viewed through Google News Archive snippet view.
  5. ^ "Good Stuff Hermosa Beach - Menu". Good Stuff Restaurants. Archived from the original on 2006-04-18. Retrieved 2007-03-08. Eggs Florentine The same good stuff as the benedict, only with fresh spinach instead of ham Notes: Located in Hermosa Beach, California.
  6. ^ "The Buff Restaurant - Menu". The Buff Restaurant. Archived from the original on 2006-04-20. Retrieved 2007-03-08. EGGS FLORENTINE - SPINACH, CREAM CHEESE, TOMATO, AND MUSHROOMS TOPPED WITH HOLLANDAISE ON A MUFFIN Notes: Located in Boulder, Colorado.
  7. ^ Claiborne, Craig (May 26, 1960), "Maligned Vegetable Has Loyal Fans", The New York Times, p. 28{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  8. ^ a b DeMers, John (1998). Food of New Orleans: Authentic Recipes from the Big Easy. Food photography by John Hay (1st ed. ed.). Boston: Periplus Editions. p. 44. ISBN 9625932275. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  9. ^ "Recipes - Eggs Hussarde". Brennan's Restaurant. Archived from the original on 2006-02-06. Retrieved 2007-02-26. Notes: Located in New Orleans, Louisiana.
  10. ^ "Brunch & Lunch Menu". Mara's Homemade Restaurant. Archived from the original on 2006-01-07. Retrieved 2007-02-26. Eggs Hussarde Toasted English muffin, Canadian bacon, Marchand de Vin sauce, poached eggs and Mara's Homemade hollandaise sauce Notes: Located in New York, New York.
  11. ^ Guste, Roy (2005). "Eggs and Omelettes". Antoine's Restaurant Cookbook. New Orleans, Louisiana: Guste Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 978-0976592402. This dish was created by Antoine on the occasion of a dinner he hosted for the French Playwright Victorien Sardou. Notes: Antoine Alciatore left the U.S. in 1874 so that he could die and be buried in France. If the quote be true and the recipe unchanged since inception, eggs Sardou predates eggs Benedict by a good twenty years. First reference returned by a search of the NYT archive for eggs-Sardou/oeufs-Sardou occurs in 1960. First reference returned by a search of Google Books occurs in 1927. First reference returned by a search of the Google News Archive occurs in 1958.
  12. ^ "Sunday "Jazz" Brunch Menu". Antoine's Restaurant. Archived from the original on 2006-04-22. Retrieved 2007-03-09. Oeufs Sardou $17.25 Poached eggs over steamed artichoke bottoms with Hollandaise Sauce Notes: Located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Page viewed differs from archived page in URL and price, but the description was unchanged.
  13. ^ Claiborne, Craig; Franey, Pierre (November 3, 1985), "EGGS SARDOU", The New York Times, Section 6, p. 87 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |nopp= ignored (|no-pp= suggested) (help) “It consists of poached eggs served in artichoke bottoms crossed with anchovy fillets. The eggs are then served with a bit of hollandaise sauce spooned on top, along with a garnish of truffles and/or finely chopped ham. Some recipes call for creamed spinach as a base on which to place the artichokes; a nice idea, but not, I believe, a part of the original.”
  14. ^ Claiborne, Craig (October 9, 1960), "The Art Of Serving Artichokes", The New York Times Magazine, pp. SM96{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) “BRENNAN'S EGGS SARDOU”
  15. ^ "Brunch Menu". Louisiana Express Company. Archived from the original on 2006-05-04. Retrieved 2007-03-09. Poached Eggs 'Sardou' Two poached eggs on artichoke bottoms, creamed spinach, sauce hollandaise Notes: Located in Bethesda, Maryland.
  16. ^ "Artichoke Recipes". California Artichoke Advisory Board. Archived from the original on 2006-05-23. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
  17. ^ California Artichoke Advisory Board (1998). "Brunch, Lunch and Dinner, Too". The California Artichoke Cookbook. edited and compiled by Mary Comfort, Noreen Griffee, Charlene Walker. Berkeley, California: Celestial Arts. p. 70. ISBN 0890878552.
  18. ^ "Recipes". Custom Culinary. Retrieved 2007-02-28. Notes: Archive.org doesn't have a copy of the page. The recipe is a near copy of the one provided by the California Artichoke Advisory Board, but scaled up by a factor of twelve and substitutes the company's hollandaise sauce base.
  19. ^ "All-Star Southern Breakfasts", The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution, pp. M/10, February 16, 1986 "There is Country Benedict, which is two fried eggs with country sausage on biscuits topped with hollandaise sauce." Notes: This was viewed through a Google News Archive keyhole, rather than directly verified with its source.
  20. ^ "Courtyard Cafe Menu". The Orleans Hotel and Casino. Archived from the original on 2005-12-23. Retrieved 2007-02-27. Country Benedict Buttermilk biscuit and sausage patty, topped with poached eggs and country gravy Notes: Located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Archived page doesn't match current one. The archived menu item is "Country Biscuit Benedict" and the description is slightly different.
  21. ^ "Breakfast Menu". The Big Biscuit Restaurant. Archived from the original on 2006-04-30. Retrieved 2007-02-27. Country Benedict scrambled eggs on a biscuit and sausage patty covered with sausage gravy, served with potatoes Notes: Both Big Biscuit restaurants are located in Missouri.
  22. ^ Townsend, Elisabeth (July 24, 2005), "Dining Out", The Boston Globe{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) “Irish Benedict ($7.50): two poached Eggs and corned beef hash on an English muffin covered with hollandaise sauce” Notes: Not directly verified. Viewed through Google News Archive snippet view.
  23. ^ "Breakfast Menu". The Field Irish Pub. Retrieved 2007-03-30. Toasted muffin topped with Irish bacon & poached eggs finished with Hollandaise sauce. Notes: Located in San Diego, California.
  24. ^ "Breakfast Menu". Strafford Farms Restaurant. Archived from the original on 2006-05-12. Retrieved 2007-03-30. IRISH BENEDICT 3.95 two poached eggs on an English muffin with corn beef hash topped with a hollandaise sauce Notes: Located in Dover, New Hampshire.
  25. ^ Horovitz, Bruce (July 3, 2002), "Egg McMuffin cost $90 to create", USA Today, pp. A.02, retrieved 2007-02-20{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Notes: This article was accessed through an online service subscribed to by the Houston public library, rather than from the link given here.
  26. ^ Love, John F. (1986, rev. 1995). McDonald's: Behind the Arches. Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0553347593. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ Meyer, Adolphe (1898). Eggs, and how to use them. New York: Published by Author. p. 43. Notes: This reference hasn't been directly verified, but instead comes by way of the online edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, accessed February 19, 2007. There were multiple printings of Meyer's book; the Cornell University library catalog lists one copy they have as published by Caterer Publishing, 3rd edition. Many cookbooks are modified when reprinted, some adding recipes. It is possible that the OED references a reprint and that the recipe isn't in the original.
  28. ^ Felch, William Farrand; Atwell, George C.; Arms, H. Phelps; Miller, Francis Trevelyan, eds. (1900), "Unknown article title", The Connecticut Magazine: an Illustrated Monthly, VI, The Connecticut Magazine Co.: 204 Notes: This reference hasn't been directly verified, but was accessed through the snippet view of Google Books' digitized copy.
  29. ^ Rorer, Sarah Tyson (c1907). Many Ways for Cooking Eggs. Philadelphia: Arnold & Company. p. 46. Retrieved 2007-02-19. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Notes: This is a troublesome reference in that the date and page reference comes from an online OED reference, accessed February 19, 2007. The Project Gutenberg copy of the book does contain a recipe for eggs Benedict, but doesn't list which printing was the source for their copy. Rorer's book had its first printing in 1907, a second in 1912 — both by Arnold and Company — and third by Kessinger Publishing in 2004.
  30. ^ The Council for Jewish Women (1914). "Entrees". The Neighborhood Cook Book (2nd edition ed.). Portland, Oregon: Bushong & Co. p. 62. Retrieved 2007-02-19. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Farmer, Fannie Merritt (1918). "Eggs". The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. Retrieved 2007-02-19. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help) Notes: There were many printings of this cookbook. The original 1896 printing did not contain a recipe for eggs Benedict.
  32. ^ Hirtzler, Vincent (c1919). "Menu for February 3". The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book. Chicago: The Hotel Monthly Press. p. 34. Retrieved 2007-02-19. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ "Advertisement for Haill Hayden's Hollandaise", The New York Times, p. 24, October 26, 1938{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  34. ^ Cite error: The named reference newyorker1942 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  35. ^ Cite error: The named reference claiborne1967 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  36. ^ Cite error: The named reference butler1967 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  37. ^ Ranhofer, Charles (2004). The Epicurean Part Two. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing. p. 858. ISBN 1432625497. Eggs à la Benedick — Cut some muffins in halves crosswise, … Cover the whole with Hollandaise sauce (No. 591).
  38. ^ Ranhofer, Charles (1894). "Page 858". The Epicurean. New York: Published by Author. p. 858. Retrieved 2007-04-11. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ Jenkins, Nancy Harmon (March 14, 1990), "The Troubles That Irish Food Has Seen", The New York Times, pp. C8, retrieved 2007-03-31{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) “James O'Shea … this amazing American idea of Irish food: that it's corned beef and cabbage and that's it.” “You'd never see corned beef on an Irish menu”
  40. ^ Smith, Kathie (March 13, 2007), "REUBEN SANDWICHES : Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with your favorite version", The Blade, retrieved 2007-03-31{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) “More than 47 million pounds of corned beef are sold annually in the United States, according to FreshLook Marketing, with more than half of the corned beef in the United Sates each year sold in the two weeks prior to St. Patrick’s Day.”

See also

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