Is There One Single Best Brunch Dish?

Brunch is a wondrous meal. It's generally laid-back and relaxed because it's on the weekend;  because it's a combination of both breakfast and lunch the possibilities are wide open. Want an omelette? Go for it. How about a burger? Sure, why not. But is there one brunch dish that rules them all?

If we had to choose one brunch dish that reigns head and shoulders above the others, we'd have to go with the most famous brunch dish of them all: eggs Benedict. An English muffin topped with a slice of Canadian bacon, a perfectly poached egg, and a ladle of hollandaise just might be the perfect food, and it hits all the right brunch notes. English muffins, ham, and eggs are ideal breakfast foods, and the savory hollandaise both ties them all together and adds a hangover-busting level of richness. Cutting the egg open and letting the yolk run down everything like hot fudge is just icing on the cake. [slideshow: 1600272]

Another great thing about eggs Benedict is the versatility. You can swap out the English muffin for a crab cake, or the ham for spinach or smoked salmon. And the hollandaise can easily be swapped out for just about any sauce, including Mornay, which is a Bechamel sauce with cheese melted into it. And if you replace the English muffin with artichoke bottoms and creamed spinach then you've got eggs Sardou, one of the classic Creole brunch dishes.

A great eggs Benedict isn't always easy to come by, because the eggs need to be perfectly cooked (there's nothing worse than an overcooked poached egg) and the hollandaise needs to be on-point with its seasoning and not broken. But if you can find it, an expertly prepared eggs Benedict just might be the single best brunch dish in existence.