Once you’ve made your small amount of hollandaise sauce, it is simple to put together that heavenly creation, egg (or eggs) Benedict,and enjoy it all alone for a Sunday brunch.

　　

Ingredients

1 recipe Hollandaise for One (recipe follows)

　　Salt

　　1 English muffin (or, if you haven’t one, use a slice of good white bread)

　　A little butter

　　1 or 2 slices ham or prosciutto,at room temperature

　　1 or 2 fresh large eggs

　　A few grindings of pepper

　　A sprinkling of paprika

　　

Hollandaise for One

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

　　4 tablespoons very cold butter, cut in 12 pieces

　　About 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

　　Salt

　　(makes a generous 1/2 cup)

　　

Step 1

If the hollandaise has cooled, warm it slowly in a small flameproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, whisking. When it is warm, set aside off heat, whisking occasionally, while you prepare the egg(s). Bring a small pot (or a larger one if using two eggs) of salted water to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Meanwhile, split the English muffin, then toast and butter it. Warm the ham or prosciutto in a pan, or quickly in a microwave, and lay on top of the muffin on a plate. Crack 1 egg carefully into a small cup, and slip it into the barely simmering water. (If you are doing 2 eggs, slip the second one in in the same way.) Keep the heat at a gentle simmer, and poach the egg(s) for 4 minutes, spooning the simmering water over the tops now and then. Scoop up the egg(s) with a slotted spoon, let the water drip off, and center on an English-muffin half. Salt lightly, and grind some pepper on top, then spoon on as much hollandaise as you want. Sprinkle on a light dusting of paprika.

　　

Variation

Step 2

Instead of ham or prosciutto, use a slice of smoked salmon, with a few capers sprinkled over it.

　　

Hollandaise for One

Step 3

Warm the yolk slowly in a small, heavy pot, such as Le Creuset, set in a sauté pan of barely simmering water, whisking vigorously. When the yolk turns lemon-colored and starts to thicken, add the very cold butter pieces one by one, continuing to whisk steadily. As soon as one piece of butter is incorporated, whisk in the next one. If at any point the sauce starts to bubble or separate, immediately remove the pot from the warmth of the sauté pan and set it into a pan of icy water. But you should not have this difficulty if you work slowly and patiently. When all the butter has been absorbed and the sauce is warm and thick, season with at least a teaspoon of lemon juice and salt to your taste.

　　

Step 4

To store any remaining hollandaise, put it in a very small saucerlike bowl and film with plastic wrap. It will keep refrigerated for several days. To warm up, let it come to room temperature slowly, then put the sauce in a small pot over warm water, and whisk furiously. It should recover its creamy consistency. If it starts to curdle, quickly remove the pan from the heat and whisk a teaspoon of cold cream into the sauce. Taste and add a little more lemon juice if needed.

　　The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. Copyright © 2009 by Judith Jones. Published by Knopf. All Rights Reserved.Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food and the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of three books: The Book of Bread; Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!; and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, and has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New York City and Vermont.