Eggs Florentine

A classic Eggs Florentine recipe made with poached eggs on a toasted english muffin with cooked spinach and and homemade hollandaise sauce. I love this delicious healthy twist on traditional eggs Benedict.

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

View the print-ready version of this recipe.

Anytime we go out to eat for breakfast, if Traditional Eggs Benedict is on the menu, I order it! I started making it at home long ago, and it’s just as good, especially for a special brunch!

Eggs Florentine is a little bit of a healthier twist to traditional Eggs Benedict! Instead of Canadian bacon, we rest the poached egg on a bed of cooked spinach. I also like to add a slice of tomato. It still has a delicious homemade hollandaise sauce on top.

Eggs Florentine In 5 Simple Steps

1. Make your hollandaise sauce.
2. Poach the eggs.
3. Cook the spinach till wilted.
4. Toast the english muffin.
5. Assemble your eggs florentine by placing the spinach on the top of a half english muffin.  Then layer one poached egg on top of the spinach.  Finally, cover the top with homemade Hollandaise sauce.

How To Poach An Egg

1. Heat water.  Fill the pot with about 3 inches of water.  Heat the water until it starts to steam and bubble (just before boiling point).

2. Add vinegar.  Add a splash of vinegar to the water (this helps the egg stay together once it is in the water).

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

3. Crack egg. Crack one egg in a small dish (I like to use a small measuring cup).

4. Whirlpool.  Next, create a gentle whirlpool in the water by taking a large spoon and circling it around in the water.  Poor your egg into the center of the swirl.

5. Cook. While it’s cooking, make sure to watch the water temperature.  You never want the water to boil, so if it gets too hot, you may need to turn down the heat.  It should stay just below boing point.  How log you cook your poached egg depends on personal preference.  I like to cook it for 3-4 minutes for a slightly runny yolk.  Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon!

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

How To Make Hollandaise Sauce

Traditional eggs Benedict and eggs florentine are served with a sauce called Hollandaise sauce.  Many people buy hollandaise sauce in a packet that just has you add water….I’ll never understand WHY?! It’s SO easy to make homemade hollandaise sauce and it definitely tastes better from scratch!

Hollandaise Ingredients

• Butter
• Egg yolks
• Lime juice
• Heavy cream
• Salt and pepper

1. Melt butter.  Melt butter in a small sauce pan.

2. Beat egg yolks.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks.  Add in the lime juice, heavy cream, and salt and pepper.

3. Temper the eggs.  Next you need to temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot butter to the egg mixture.  Stir it well and repeat this process, slowly adding one spoonful of hot butter to the egg mixture.  We do this to avoid curdling the eggs.

4. Return to saucepan.  Finally, add the whole mixture back to the saucepan and cook it for a few more seconds.

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

Other Variations

• Eggs Benedict – use Canadian bacon instead of spinach.
• Use grilled asparagus in place of spinach.
• Add smoked salmon
• Add bacon
• Add tomato slices
• Add avocado slices

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

Make Ahead and Storing Hollandaise Sauce

For very best results, I like to make Hollandaise right when I am ready to eat my eggs florentine.  However, you can make Hollandaise sauce a day ahead of time.  Keep it cooling in the refrigerator and when you are ready to eat it, reheat it for about 10-20 seconds in the microwave.

Store hollandaise sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

Consider Trying These Classic Breakfast Recipes

• Breakfast Quesadillas
• Cheesy Egg, Avocado, and Ham Breakfast Sandwiches
• Seven Layer Breakfast Tacos
• German Pancakes
• Classic French Toast
• Broccoli Cheese Quiche
• Crunchy French Toast

Eggs Florentine

Author: Lauren Allen Servings: 4 Calories: 477 Prep 25 Mins Cook 5 Mins Total 30 Mins

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 4 English muffins
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 10 cups baby spinach leaves
• salt and pepper , to taste

For the Hollandaise Sauce

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• salt and pepper , to taste

Instructions

Make the Hollandaise Sauce

Melt butter. Melt butter in a small sauce pan.

Beat egg yolks. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks. Add in the lime juice, heavy cream, and salt and pepper.

Tempur the eggs. Next you need to tempur the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot butter to the egg mixture. Stir it well and repeat this process, slowly adding one spoonful of hot butter to the egg mixture. We do this to avoid curdling the eggs.

Return to saucepan. Finally, add the whole mixture back to the saucepan and cook it for a few more seconds.

Poach the Eggs

Heat water. Fill the pot with about 3 inches of water. Heat the water until it starts to steam and bubble (just before boiling point).

Add vinegar. Add a splash of vinegar to the water (this helps the egg stay together once it is in the water).

Crack egg. Crack one egg in a small dish (I like to use a small measuring cup).

Whirlpool. Next, create a gentle whirlpool in the water by taking a large spoon and circling it around in the water. Poor your egg into the center of the swirl.

Cook. While it’s cooking, make sure to watch the water temperature. You never want the water to boil, so if it gets too hot, you may need to turn down the heat. It should stay just below boing point. How log you cook your poached egg depends on personal preference. I like to cook it for 3-4 minutes for a slightly runny yolk. Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon!

Cook Spinach

In a large skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Once melted, pour in the heavy cream, and let the mixture simmer for a couple minutes until is starts to thicken slightly.

Add baby spinach leaves and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes or until the leaves are wilted. Remove from heat and season with a dash of salt and pepper.

Assemble Eggs Florentine

Toast the english muffin and lightly butter it. Layer spinach on top of the english muffin and place egg on top of spinach. Top with hollandaise sauce.

Notes

For very best results, I like to make Hollandaise right when I am ready to eat my eggs florentine. However, you can make Hollandaise sauce a day ahead of time. Keep it cooling in the refrigerator and when you are ready to eat it, reheat it for about 10-20 seconds in the microwave.

Store hollandaise sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 477kcal Carbohydrates: 30g Protein: 14g Fat: 34g Saturated Fat: 19g Cholesterol: 300mg Sodium: 538mg Potassium: 583mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 1g Vitamin A: 8239IU Vitamin C: 21mg Calcium: 149mg Iron: 4mg

This article was originally published on tastesbetterfromscratch.com. Follow on Instagram.