Why it works: Sauce and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,338 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Eggs Benedict II
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the sauce
For sauce, combine butter, egg yolks, water, and lemon juice.
Heat the sauce in a double boiler, stirring constantly.
Poach the eggs
Lightly grease a skillet.
Fill the skillet halfway with water.
Bring the water to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer.
Break eggs into a cup and carefully slide one at a time into the water.
Allow space for each egg.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve
Meanwhile, heat Canadian bacon in a skillet.
Remove the poached egg and serve with Canadian bacon and Hollandaise sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Sauce + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together15,338 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Sauce + lemontop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,598 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sauce and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 15,338 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Poached eggs form the main structure and body of the dish.
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify with butter and set with gentle heat to give the sauce its thick, creamy texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and helps form a smooth emulsified sauce.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances the richness of the butter and yolks.
- Canadian bacon
- Provides savory, salty flavor and a firm, meaty base under the egg.
The step that matters
Heat the sauce in a double boiler, stirring constantly.. Egg yolks scramble if they get too hot too quickly. Gentle indirect heat and constant stirring let the yolks thicken into a smooth emulsion instead of curdling.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sauce, butter):
- Coconutfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
- Vanillafits about as well
- Avocadofits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sauce, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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