Gordon Ramsay’s eggs benedict is poached egg, crispy Parma ham and hollandaise on a toasted English muffin, ready in 20 minutes. The recipe comes from Ultimate Home Cooking. In the video, his children bolt down the stairs when he says he is making it.
In Secrets, the same dish appears on the Claridges breakfast menu with a completely different hollandaise using fresh mint and warm spices. Two cookbooks, two recipes for the same dish.
The detail that makes the biggest difference is toasting the muffins in the Parma ham fat left in the pan. Ramsay puts them face-down so they soak up the rendered fat before the egg goes on top. That salty base layer changes the whole dish.
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Gordon Ramsay’s Eggs Benedict
Course: BreakfastCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Medium4
servings10
minutes10
minutes650
kcal20 minutes
Named after Lemuel Benedict, a Wall Street broker who ordered poached eggs and hollandaise at New York’s Waldorf Hotel in 1894 to cure a hangover. Ramsay has two versions across two cookbooks: this one with crispy Parma ham, and a minted hollandaise version from his time at Claridges.
Ingredients
- For the hollandaise:
3 free-range egg yolks
2 tsp tarragon or white wine vinegar
200ml (scant 1 cup) unsalted butter, melted
Lemon juice, to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the benedict:
4 large free-range eggs
8 slices of Parma ham
2 English muffins, split in half
Olive oil, for frying
White wine vinegar, for poaching
Directions
- Make the hollandaise: Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Add the egg yolks and vinegar and whisk vigorously until the mixture forms a golden, airy foam.
- Add the butter: Turn off the heat. Whisk in the melted butter a little at a time until it is all incorporated and the sauce is almost as thick as mayonnaise. Whisk in lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cover and set aside over the warm water.
- Fry the ham: Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan and fry the Parma ham until crispy. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
- Toast the muffins: Place the muffin halves face-down in the same pan with the ham fat. Toast on both sides until golden and crisp.
- Poach the eggs: Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer with a dash of vinegar. Crack each egg into a teacup, swirl the water and tip the egg into the centre. Cook for 3 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
- Assemble: Place each muffin half on a plate. Top with crispy ham, then a poached egg. Spoon the hollandaise over the top and serve immediately.
Notes
- Toast the muffins face-down in the Parma ham fat. That salty base stops the muffin going soggy under the egg.
FAQs
Why does Gordon Ramsay use Parma ham instead of bacon?
Parma ham crisps up thinner and saltier than back bacon, giving a crunchier bite against the soft egg and rich sauce. In the YouTube video, he calls it “like posh rashers of bacon” and fries it until completely crisp.
The real advantage is how thin it gets when fried. Two slices per muffin give you a crispy layer without the chewiness that thick bacon brings. Back bacon also lacks the salt intensity that balances the rich hollandaise.
How does the Secrets minted hollandaise differ?
The Claridges version uses only 2 egg yolks instead of 3 with clarified butter instead of melted. It adds crushed coriander seeds, cayenne and fresh mint cut into thin strips. It also uses a reduced white wine vinegar that Ramsay keeps in a bottle in the fridge.
UHC is simpler: melted butter, tarragon vinegar, hand whisk. The Secrets version is the restaurant method: clarified butter, stick blender, spiced with coriander. Both work, but the minted version tastes more distinctive and complex.
How do you fix hollandaise if it splits?
In Secrets, Ramsay says to “whisk in a trickle of cold water to re-emulsify.” In the video, he warns that splitting happens when “you don’t whisk enough” so the yolks cannot absorb the butter. The fix is to add a fresh yolk in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the split mixture into it.
Ramsay’s hollandaise sauce article covers the full technique. The sauce holds in a warm place for up to 30 minutes. Make it first and keep it over the warm water bath while everything else cooks.
Why toast the muffins in the ham fat?
The rendered Parma ham fat creates a salty, savoury base layer that plain toasting cannot match. It also seals the surface of the muffin so the poached egg does not make it soggy underneath.
Ramsay’s scrambled eggs on toast uses dense pain Poilâne for the same reason: you need bread that holds its structure under soft, wet eggs. A flimsy muffin without the fat seal falls apart within minutes.
Can you make eggs benedict ahead?
The hollandaise holds covered for 30 minutes. The ham stays warm in a low oven. The poached eggs can be made hours ahead using the ice-water shock method, then reheated in simmering water for 30 seconds.
In Secrets, Ramsay reheats them in “boiling hot buttery water” instead, which adds richness. The only thing you cannot do ahead is the final stack. Assemble at the last minute or the muffin goes soggy, and try the fried egg if you want a quicker breakfast with less timing pressure.
