Eggs Benedict

Read through the recipe and gather the equipment. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything, putting the yolks in the heatproof bowl. Everything is measured and the yolks are in the heatproof bowl.

Heat the oven to 200°F with the baking sheet and plates on the middle rack, so they warm for holding and serving. The oven has reached temperature.

Melt the butter for the hollandaise in the small saucepan over low heat, then turn off the burner and keep it warm on the stove. The butter is fully melted and warm.

Pour water into the medium saucepan to a depth of 1 inch and into the 12-inch straight-sided skillet to a depth of 2 1/2 inches. Heat both over medium heat until they barely simmer, then turn both burners to low. Both pans of water are barely simmering.

Whisk the water and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice into the yolks in the heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over the barely simmering saucepan on low heat and whisk nonstop, scraping the sides, until the yolks turn pale, fall from the whisk in a thick trail and an instant-read thermometer reads 160°F (71°C), about 3 to 5 minutes. Lift the bowl off the saucepan right away.

Pour the warm melted butter into the yolks in a thin stream, off the heat and whisking nonstop, until the sauce is smooth, glossy and coats a spoon like heavy cream, about 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 tsp kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Taste the hollandaise. Aim for rich and buttery, with a clear lemon edge and enough salt. If it tastes flat, add kosher salt to taste; if it tastes heavy, add fresh lemon juice to taste. The sauce is pourable and well seasoned. Cover the bowl and hold it over the saucepan with the burner off, whisking every few minutes, until the eggs are ready.

Melt the butter for the skillet in the 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Brown the Canadian bacon in one layer until the edges are golden and the slices are hot through, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Move the bacon to the baking sheet in the warm oven.

Toast the English muffin halves in the toaster until golden and crisp at the edges, then move them to the baking sheet in the oven. The muffins are golden and crisp at the edges.

Check that the skillet water is at a bare simmer, with small bubbles rising and the surface barely trembling, keeping the burner on low heat, and stir in the vinegar. Crack one egg at a time into the strainer set over the small bowl, swirl off the thin white, slide the egg into the small cup and ease it into the water at the surface. Poach the eggs in two rounds of 4, spaced apart, until the whites are opaque and the yolks are firm when pressed with the slotted spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes. Lift each round onto paper towels, then onto the baking sheet in the oven.

Divide the toasted muffin halves among the warm plates, cut side up, to make 4 servings. Top each half with a slice of Canadian bacon and a poached egg, then divide the hollandaise evenly over the eggs. Finish with the chives and with sweet paprika to taste, if using. Each plate holds 2 topped halves.