New Orleans Eggs Hussarde: Brennan's Wine-Sauced Brunch Masterpiece

Eggs Hussarde is Brennan's great New Orleans brunch invention — a rich, meaty riff on eggs Benedict in which poached eggs perch on toasted rusks and Canadian bacon, layered with both hollandaise and a deep red-wine marchand de vin sauce. According to Saveur, this take on eggs Benedict incorporates a rich red wine sauce, and the recipe first appeared in Saveur's April 2013 special feature on New Orleans. Eater calls it "a Brennan's invention, a rich and meaty riff on eggs Benedict that makes it hard to return to the original." Morsels & Musings describes it as poached eggs on rusks with smoked ham and both Hollandaise and Marchand de Vin sauces — a Creole recipe.

Brennan's, the legendary Royal Street restaurant, invented Eggs Hussarde alongside its even more famous Eggs Sardou, and it is the dish that characterizes the grand New Orleans brunch — a meal designed for a long, slow morning with a cocktail in hand. The marchand de vin sauce is the genius: a red-wine and beef-stock reduction with mushrooms and ham that gives the dish a dark, savory depth the plain hollandaise of eggs Benedict cannot reach.

About the Ingredients

Rusks — crisp, dry toasted bread rounds; Brennan's uses Holland rusks, but a thick slice of toasted brioche or English muffin works at home.

Canadian bacon — gently warmed in butter; the salt and smoke are a base note.

Marchand de vin — a red wine sauce of butter, garlic, shallot, onion, ham, mushrooms, flour, beef stock, dry red wine, Worcestershire, and thyme, cooked down to a rich glaze.

Hollandaise — classic egg-yolk-and-butter emulsion with a touch of cayenne.

Eggs — poached, the yolks still soft.

Ingredients (serves 4): For the marchand de vin: - 2 tbsp butter - 1 clove garlic, finely chopped - 1 scallion, finely chopped - 1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped - 1/4 cup finely chopped ham - 1/4 cup minced mushrooms - 1 tbsp flour - 3/4 cup beef stock - 1/4 cup dry red wine - 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce - 1/2 tsp dried thyme - 1 bay leaf - 1/4 cup chopped parsley, divided - Salt and pepper

For the hollandaise: - 2 cups butter, clarified - 4 egg yolks - 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar - 1/4 tsp cayenne, plus more to serve - 1 tsp water

To serve: - 8 poached eggs - 8 slices Canadian bacon - 8 toasted rusk rounds (or English muffin halves)

Instructions: Make the marchand de vin: melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, scallion, and onion; cook 2–3 minutes until soft. Add the ham and mushrooms; cook 4 minutes. Add the flour; cook 1 minute, stirring. Add the stock, wine, Worcestershire, thyme, and bay leaf; bring to a boil, then reduce to medium and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in half the parsley; season with salt and pepper; keep warm.

Make the hollandaise: whisk the egg yolks, vinegar, cayenne, and water in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until thick, 4–5 minutes. Stream in the clarified butter, whisking, until smooth and emulsified. Keep warm.

Warm the Canadian bacon in a little butter in a skillet. Toast the rusks. Poach the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft.

Assemble: place a rusk on each plate, top with a slice of Canadian bacon, spoon 2 tbsp of the marchand de vin over, set a poached egg on top, and spoon hollandaise over the egg. Garnish with the remaining parsley and a dust of cayenne. Serve at once.

The Mimosa Pairing Logic: The deep, wine-rich marchand de vin and the butter hollandaise want a bright, acid-driven drink that can lift the richness and echo the wine. A classic Champagne mimosa is the safe and perfect choice — the citrus cuts the butter and the wine sauce, and the wine's effervescence refreshes the palate. A kir Royale — Champagne with crème de cassis — is equally lovely, the cassis a beautiful mirror for the red wine in the sauce. This pairing is, in its way, the brunch equivalent of Eggs Hussarde and a brandy milk punch at Brennan's — a sparkling toast to the New Orleans brunch.

Reference Links: - Brennan's Eggs Hussarde (with red wine sauce): Saveur - The New Orleans Breakfast Dish That Makes a Difference (Eggs Hussarde): Eater - Eggs Hussarde (Creole poached eggs, hollandaise, marchand de vin): Morsels & Musings

Make-Ahead: The marchand de vin can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated; reheat gently. The hollandaise is best made just before serving, though it can be held warm over warm water for 30 minutes. Poach the eggs to order; the soft yolk breaking into the sauce is the point.

Pro Tips: The marchand de vin should be cooked down until it is genuinely rich and slightly thick — a thin sauce is wrong. Clarify the butter for the hollandaise so the sauce stays smooth and doesn't split. Keep the hollandaise warm, never hot, over warm (not simmering) water; high heat scrambles the yolks. Poach the eggs gently; the whites should be set and the yolks soft and runny. Build the dish in layers — rusk, bacon, marchand de vin, egg, hollandaise — so each bite carries all the sauces. A dust of cayenne over the hollandaise is the Brennan's finish.