Eggs à la Florentine
Broiled under the grill, this luscious, creamy egg dish will delight any spinach lover.
If you’re looking for a step up from eggs Benedict for your next Sunday brunch, try these eggs à la Florentine. In France, the term cooking “à la Florentine” refers to anything cooked with spinach and Mornay sauce. Chicken, fish or vegetables . . . almost anything will work well on a bed of sautéed spinach, doused in a homemade Mornay sauce and melted cheese. Broiled under the grill and served with toasted bread, this luscious, creamy egg dish will delight any spinach lover.
This recipe features in our cookbook, French Cooking Academy: 100 Essential Recipes for the Home Cook
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Mornay Sauce [2 cups (500 ml)]
2 whole cloves
½ onion
1 oz (30 g) unsalted butter
1 oz (30 g) all-purpose flour
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 tsp salt
2 pinches of ground white pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup (50 g) of grated Gruyère or Comté cheese
Eggs
1 lb (500 g) fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried, tough stems removed
Salt and pepper to season
4 large eggs
2 tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter
3.4 oz (100 g) grated Gruyère or Comté cheese
MISE EN PLACE
You will need four small ovenproof egg dishes to broil the eggs.
METHOD
First make a béchamel sauce. Stick the cloves into the onion half. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, and then add the flour all at once. To make a roux, stir with a wooden spoon until the flour and butter combine to form a paste. Cook for 2 minutes, then immediately remove from the heat, setting aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in another medium-sized saucepan, combine the milk, clove-studded onion half, bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Slowly bring to a light boil, stirring from time to time.
As soon as the milk is warm, strain half of it over the cold roux sitting in the other saucepan and use a whisk to fully blend with the roux before adding the rest of the milk. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly. (Bringing it gradually to a boil is the key to a smooth sauce, so don’t be hasty.)
When the sauce starts to bubble, leave it over the heat for 2 minutes, stirring a little faster to prevent bits from sticking to the bottom. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, then turn off the heat. Your béchamel should be velvety smooth and creamy. As soon as the béchamel is done, stir in 2 large egg yolks and ¼ cup (50 g) of grated Gruyère or Comté cheese to make Mornay sauce.
In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the spinach with 2 pinches of salt: 1 minute for baby spinach and 2 minutes for mature spinach. As soon as the spinach is cooked, transfer to a bowl of cold water to cool briefly. Lightly squeeze the spinach in your hands to drain out the water, then wrap in a paper towel, giving it an extra squeeze.
Cook the eggs in boiling water for 6 minutes, then settle in cold water for 5 minutes to immediately stop them from cooking. Peel the eggs under light running water and set aside.
Season and chop the spinach, then sauté in a skillet with the butter over high heat for 2 minutes.
To assemble the dish, have the Mornay sauce, spinach, grated cheese and eggs at the ready. Grease the dishes and spoon 3 tablespoons (40 g) of sautéed spinach onto the bottom of each dish. Use the back of a spoon to make an impression in the spinach and lay an egg into each one, then cover with a dollop of Mornay sauce and a sprinkle of cheese.
To finish, broil under the grill for 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts and a golden crust forms on the sauce. Serve immediately with a slice of toasted bread.
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