Eggs Benedict Ideas

• Use ham instead of Canadian ham.Verity Welstead/Polka Dot/Getty Images
  
  Classic eggs Benedict, rich and elegant as a brunch entree, begins with a toasted English muffin, topped with a slice of Canadian bacon, followed by a perfectly poached egg. The crowning touch is an ample serving of creamy hollandaise sauce, spooned over the poached egg. Making hollandaise sauce involves a blending of egg yolks and melted butter, a dash of fresh lemon juice and a tiny pinch of salt, cooked over a double boiler. When prepared correctly, hollandaise sauce is thick and smooth, never curdled or lumpy. Adventurous chefs create variations to the classic eggs Benedict recipe.
  
  

Sauce

• Spice up the hollandaise sauce with an additional seasoning, such as pureed chipotle peppers and some diced cilantro, for a southwest version of eggs Benedict. For the purist, it simply isn't eggs Benedict if the sauce is anything but hollandaise. Don't tell that to the cooks serving up country-style eggs Benedict, where country gravy replaces the hollandaise sauce. Other substitutions for hollandaise sauce include cheese sauce, melted cheese, mushroom sauce or salsa.
  
  

Egg

• In the classic eggs Benedict, the egg is poached, yet those who dislike poached egg might substitute it for scrambled eggs or eliminate the egg.
  
  

Meat

• Replace the Canadian bacon with another meat. Round slices of Canadian bacon fit perfectly atop the round English muffin, yet the taste is similar to ham. Replacing the Canadian bacon with the ham isn't a significant flavor change, and ham is sometimes more readily available. Those serving country-style eggs Benedict typically use sausage patties instead of Canadian bacon. Another replacement for Canadian bacon is regular bacon.
  
  

Seafood

• Eliminate the meat and substitute it with fish, such as slices of smoked salmon. This version, typically known as eggs Norwegian, might include a bit of cayenne pepper to spice up the hollandaise sauce. Another seafood version uses crab cakes instead of Canadian bacon.
  
  

Vegetables

• Spinach is especially delicious served with hollandaise and is an excellent substitute for the Canadian bacon, especially for non-meat eaters. Other non-meat substitutes for Canadian bacon include a slice of tomato, asparagus spears or sauteed mushrooms.
  
  

Bread

• Nothing is sacred when preparing eggs Benedict. Cooks even swap the English muffin for another bread type, such as a tortilla in a southwest version or a biscuit in a country version. Some creative chefs eliminate the bread and use something entirely different, such as one version which calls for an artichoke heart instead of an English muffin.