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1
Make the hollandaise à la minute — no more than 20 minutes before serving. Set a double boiler over barely simmering water. Whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice in the bowl until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened. Begin streaming the warm clarified butter in slowly, whisking constantly, so the emulsion builds gradually. The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon in a smooth, opaque layer and holds a ribbon when the whisk is lifted. Keep warm off direct heat.
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2
Warm the rounds of Canadian bacon in a pan over moderate heat until heated through. Toast and butter the English muffin halves so each cut face is crisp and golden — the structural crunch this provides is essential to the finished dish.
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3
Bring a wide pan of water to 85–90 °C — barely simmering, not boiling. Add a splash of vinegar. Swirl the water to form a vortex and drop one egg at a time into the centre. Poach for 3–4 minutes. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: the white must be just set and opaque while the yolk remains completely liquid — press the white gently with a fingertip; it should yield with no resistance at the yolk. An overcooked yolk negates the entire dish.
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4
Assemble immediately in order: toasted, buttered muffin half → round of Canadian bacon → poached egg → hollandaise. The hollandaise must be warm — not hot, which breaks the emulsion, and not cold, which renders it a paste. The dish must reach the table within 60 seconds of plating; when the egg is cut, the yolk should flow freely into the hollandaise and down into the muffin below.