Eggs Royale is one of those “brunch at a cafe” meals that feels wildly luxurious, but this version is fully homemade from the English muffins all the way down to the hollandaise. You start by making soft, yeasty muffins cooked low and slow in a cast iron skillet, then build a classic stack: buttery toasted muffin halves, tomato, spinach and arugula, cold smoked salmon, avocado, a perfectly poached egg, and silky lemony hollandaise, finished with dill. It’s rich, fresh, salty, creamy, and absolutely a full moment - the kind of breakfast that turns into an event.

What is the history of eggs benedict?

Eggs benedict has that classic “fancy brunch” reputation, but it’s history is a little messier than the perfectly stacked plate we know today. The most repeated origin story places it in New York City in the late 1800s, tied to Delmonico’s restaurant where a version was served to a regular named Mrs. LeGrand Benedict; toasted bread, ham, poached eggs, and hollandaise as a new kind of breakfast dish. Another famous claim comes from 1894 at the Waldorf Hotel where a hungover stockbroker named Lemuel Benedict supposedly ordered buttered toast, poached eggs, bacon, and hollandaise as a “cure”, and the hotel turned it into a menu item. Either way, the formula stuck because it’s unbeatable: warm bread, something salty, a perfectly soft egg, and a rich sauce that makes it feel like you’re eating something you shouldn’t be having before noon. And eggs royale is basically the coastal upgrade; swapping the ham for cold smoked salmon and letting it lean into that buttery, brunch perfect vibe.

How to make eggs royale?

To begin the recipe we start by making the English muffins. To make the muffins mix together warm milk, water, sugar, and yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy. Meanwhile whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl. Then add 1 egg and 3 tbsp melted butter in the yeast mixture, whisk to combine. On low speed and with a paddle attachment, mix together the yeast and flour mixture for about 8 minutes until the dough is stretchy. Oil a large bowl and transfer the dough in it and flip it to coat. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about one hour in a warm spot until doubled in size. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and dust with semolina flour. Dust a counter top with all purpose flour and gently roll the dough until 1” thick. Using a 3” round cookie cutter cut out the muffins. Fold the dough and repeat. Transfer the muffins on the cookie sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for another 30 minutes. Heat up a cast iron skillet on very low heat. Once the pan is warm, dust it with semolina flour and place 2-3 muffins, cover, and let them cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Wipe the pan clean and dust with fresh semolina flour between each batch. Set the cooked muffins aside. Start Hollandaise sauce by bringing about 1” of water to simmer in a small pot. Whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice in a medium glass bowl, set it over the pot (do not let the bowl touch the water), whisk rapidly until egg yolks have doubled in size. Then slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup melted butter while rapidly whisking until the sauce coats a spoon. Remove from heat and whisk in a pinch of cayenne and salt. Cover with plastic and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to slow boil and add in vinegar. Working with one egg at a time, use a whisk to stir the water to create a current, crack in an egg, and poach it for about 3 minutes. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and place on top of a paper towel or a stale piece of bread to absorb the excess water. While poaching the eggs, melt 2 tbsp of butter on a cast iron skillet over medium heat and slice 4 muffins horizontally. Place the muffins on the pan face down and toast until golden. Top each muffin half with tomato, spinach, arugula, cold smoked salmon, avocado, poached egg, and Hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle chopped dill on top and serve immediately.

Tips

When making the Hollandaise sauce make sure the egg yolks don’t cook - if they start to get thick and sticking to the sides of the bowl remove it from heat while whisking in butter.
Make sure to drizzle in the butter slowly. If mixed in too fast and not whisking enough the Hollandaise will break. Broken sauce will not look smooth, it will look oily and spotty. If the sauce is too runny return over heat and keep whisking until it thickens.
To poach the eggs, adding vinegar to the water and creating a current will avoid the egg from falling apart in the water.
This recipe will yield enough dough to make a few extra muffins to enjoy as a snack later! They also freeze well if you want to have homemade English muffins on hand!