# Benton’s Smoky Ham Benedict

American recipe from Benton, with Chef Jason McKinney, about 40 minutes, serves about 2.

The hollandaise is an emulsion, so low heat and patience.

- Total time: about 40 minutes (estimated)
- Hands-on: about 35 minutes
- Serves: about 2
- Level: Hard
- Cuisine: American

## Ingredients

- 4 ounces clarified butter
- 8 ounces Benton’s Ham
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- truffle salt or flaky sea salt
- 1 heirloom tomato
- 4 eggs
- 2 English muffins
- 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 ounces Toma cheese
- 1 avocado
- 4 tablespoons Champagne vinegar

## Method

1. **10 minutes ahead.** Preheat your oven to 400F.
2. Fill a sauce pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Melt the clarified butter in a second small sauce pot and set aside.
3. Line a sheet tray with aluminum foil and crisp that ham in the oven. Remove when desired crispiness is achieved! Slice the tomato and avocado. Grate the cheese.
4. Place the egg yolks inside a metal bowl, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Place the metal bowl over the sauce pot with the simmering water, whisking constantly.
5. Take the bowl on and off the heat, whisking the whole time. Keep cooking the egg yolks in this manner until the yolks are thick and cooked. Remove the yolks from the heat.
6. Slowly drizzle in the clarified butter into the cooked yolks, whisking constantly, until all of the butter is incorporated. Season with salt and paprika. Thin with water as necessary. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the English muffins and toast until GBD. Top with the cheese and transfer to the oven until the cheese has melted.
7. Using that boiling water, add the vinegar and poach the eggs (4 mins for soft). Assemble your benedict: top the melty cheese with crisp ham, then the tomato, sliced avocado, and a poached egg. Spoon on plenty of hollandaise and season with paprika and cracked black pepper. Let’s get our brunch on!!!!

## Other ideas

- **Classic.** Use Canadian bacon in place of the ham and leave off the avocado.

## Tools

- Cutting board
- Knife
- Large saute pan
- Large spoon
- Metal spatula
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- 2 small sauce pots
- Plastic wrap
- Slotted spoon

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Recipe page with photos and video: https://chefjasonmckinney.com/recipes/bentons-ham-eggs-benedict-with-avocado-point-reyes-toma
By Benton, with Chef Jason McKinney. Free to cook; please link the page when you share it.