Julia Child's Eggs Benedict

from Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home

Make hollandaise sauce:

Whisk 3 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water over low heat in a round-bottomed (saucier-type) pan until thick and foamy. whisk in 6 to 8 tablespoons of room temperature, unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Season with salt and a dash of cayenne pepper to taste.

Poach eggs:

Poach in about 2 inches of boiling/simmering water to which 2 tablespoons of white vinegar have been added. Eggs should take about 4 minutes.

Bread:

Sliced French bread 1 inch thick, remove crust, and light toast, then butter both sides and place on warm plate.

Ham:

Saute slices (not too thin) of top quality prosciutto ham in a little butter.

Assembly:

Plade ham on toasted, buttered bread, top with poached eggs and finish with a napping of hollandaise sauce.