Today we're serving up classic Eggs Florentine and removing any and all complications from the process. If poaching eggs and making hollandaise from home has felt intimidating to you in the past, rest assured -- this easy approach will deliver flawless results to the breakfast table without all the fuss.
We are talking about perfectly cooked egg whites, runny yolks, and decadent hollandaise sauce (that takes less than 10 minutes and essentially no effort to make!) all on top of a bed of flavorful spinach, over a toasty English muffin. Great for a special breakfast at home or an impressive brunch.
There is no need to swirl the poaching water or dress it up with vinegar in order to achieve the perfect poached egg, we'll walk you through it. Whisking vigorously for any length of time and breaking sauces? Forget that. Instead, grab the blender for the smoothest, most delicious hollandaise ever.
Here at The Anthony Kitchen, we love a good, savory breakfast or brunch option and we have a feeling you do too! If you'd like to try some more recipes like this one, check out our Easy Egg Sandwich or Starbucks Copycat Egg Bites. For some traditional Mexican cuisine try our Chilaquiles Rojos.
HOW TO MAKE EGGS FLORENTINE
Eggs Florentine can be broken down into three simple parts! You'll need the hollandaise topping, the wilted spinach, and the poached eggs. There's also a toasted English muffin in there, but very little instruction is required there so we will focus on the three key elements.
But before we move on, be sure you bookmark our eggs in purgatory recipe for the next time you want to spice up a boring egg breakfast!
MAKE THE HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
To begin, you'll knock out the sauce. Hollandaise sauce can seem impossible at first but, if you've ever made a blender rendition, you know it couldn't be easier! For this hollandaise method, you will need either a blender or a food processor equipped with a blade attachment. I like to use my miniature one for this recipe in particular.
To make the sauce, you'll need one cup of unsalted butter, hot and melted. Set the butter aside and add two egg yolks along with a tablespoon of hot water to your blender or food processor. Process until the egg yolk appears slightly thickened. Then, remove the funnel and, with the motor running, begin very slowly drizzling in the melted butter.
Add the lemon juice, and season with a pinch of salt and cayenne pepper for a bit of spice, if you'd like. Mix once more and that's it! That is how you make a perfectly easy hollandaise sauce from scratch.
SAUTE THE SPINACH
In France, anything served on a bed of spinach is referred to as florentine, which is precisely why this dish is called Eggs Florentine!
To kick off your bed of spinach, you'll need to add some unsalted butter to a large pan or saucepan and place it over medium heat. As soon as the butter has melted add in some chopped shallot and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Once your shallot has softened, add chopped cloves of garlic and stir for about one minute more.
Add the spinach leaves to the large skillet one big handful at a time, stirring after each addition until slightly wilted. Once all of the spinach has gone into the pan, season with salt, stir and transfer the spinach mix to a colander placed over the sink.
You can use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to press out the excess water content in the spinach. This will keep your Eggs Florentine from becoming a soggy mess upon serving.
POACH THE EGGS
Once you've got your hollandaise sauce and spinach ready to go, it's time to poach some eggs. You can certainly get your poaching water simmering prior to whipping up the aforementioned items but definitely wait to slide in the eggs until just before serving time. This way those yolks can be served perfectly runny and warm.
Once you have 2 inches of water simmering away, you can begin adding in your eggs. It is best if you can crack your egg into a small bowl or ramekin and then gently slide the egg into the simmering water. Use the pan's handle as a starting point for dropping in your eggs so you know which one to pull first.
For another super delicious breakfast, try our Sunny Side Up Eggs!
As soon as you have up to four eggs in the water, turn off the heat and place a lid over the pan. Set a three-minute timer and then use a slotted spoon to remove each egg from the pan. As the eggs come out of the water, have a folded dish towel or paper towels ready so you can nestle your slotted spoon in it to remove any excess water or drips.
Love a good egg breakfast? Try our eggs in a basket next!
If you are making the Eggs Florentine Recipe for four people or more, you will need to use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove any residual egg white from the pan of water before bringing it back up to a simmer.
To assemble your Eggs Florentine, you will need a halved and toasted English muffin on the plate, cut side up. Next, add a couple of tablespoons of cooked spinach, followed by a poached egg, and a generous spoonful of Hollandaise. Season with salt and pepper, serve right away, and enjoy!
6 MORE EGG RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Egg Sandwich
- Chilaquiles Verde
- Migas
- Ham and Cheese Quiche
- Breakfast Casserole With Bacon
- Grits Casserole
Egg Sandwich
Chilaquiles Verde Recipe - Homemade & Easy!
Migas Recipe
Easy Ham and Cheese Quiche Recipe
Breakfast Casserole with Bacon
Grits Casserole
Eggs Florentine is the perfect dish for when you're looking to fancy up with breakfast table a bit without a ton of added prep time.
- 1 cup hot, melted, unsalted butter
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- Juice of half a lemon
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (10-ounce) package baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 8 large eggs
- 4 English muffins, halved and toasted
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Have ready melted butter and set aside. Add egg yolks and hot water to a blender or food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Process until thickened, about 30 seconds.
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Remove the funnel, and very slowly, drizzle in the hot butter with the motor running. Cover with a towel if necessary and continue to process until pale white and thickened once more. Add the lemon juice, salt and cayenne, and blend once more. Set aside.
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Add the butter to a large pan or saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the butter has melted, add the shallot and cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
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Add the spinach, one big handful at a time, and stir until slightly wilted. Add another handful and repeat until all of the spinach is wilted. Season with Kosher salt and stir.
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Transfer the spinach mix to a colander over the sink and use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to press out any excess water. Set aside.
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Add about 1 ½” of water to a pan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
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Once the water is simmering, crack each egg into a ramekin or small bowl and gently slide it into the pan. You can poach up to 4 eggs at a time. Add the first egg by the pan’s handle and add counterclockwise from there to keep track of which egg should be removed first.
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Turn off the heat and cover the pan. For runny yolks and cooked egg whites, allow the eggs to sit, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the pan. As you remove the eggs, nestle the slotted spoon in a paper towel to remove any excess water.
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Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to remove any leftover egg from the water, bring it back to a simmer over medium heat-high and repeat with the second batch of eggs as needed.
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Place your English muffins cut-side up on the plate, add about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture, top with a poached egg, and drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Serve right away and enjoy!
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