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:
- Make your hollandaise sauce.
- Poach the eggs.
- Cook the spinach till wilted.
- Toast the english muffin.
- 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).
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!
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.
Other Variations:
- Eggs Benedict – use candian bacon instead of spinach.
- Use grilled asparagus in place of spinach.
- Add smoked salmon
- Add bacon
- Add tomato slices
- Add avocado slices
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.
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
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Recipe
Eggs Florentine
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.Â
- 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.Â
- 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). Â
- 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.Â
- 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
Nutrition
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I originally published this recipe April 2014. Updated January 2020 with process photos and improved instructions.
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Classic Florentine is made with Mornay, not hollandaise.
By definition, anything Florentine, is not made with hollandaise, it is made with a creamed cheese sauce Morney, look up the original Florentine recipes. Be it chicken or others.
I love it… that’s why my favorite
I am a serious eggs Benedict fan. Never thought of Florentine. Healthier…love spinach. Two alternates, you can wrap in crepe with cooked chicken and you could replace muffin with a large croissant.
Using a powdered mix is easier, and if you don’t have heavy cream, etc., it is also cheaper.
That said, I wondered how to poach an egg (69 yr old male here). No one ever told me to swirl the water, etc.
I will poach an egg tomorrow. Usually I nuke ’em in a microwave in a plastic egg poacher- but even doing two at a time in a double-egg thing, one seems to come out too hard and the other too runny.
Great recipe for its educational value.
I also use a double egg microwave poacher. I like it better to sun up the eggs.i made a 2 egg fresh dungeoness crab eggs benedict this morning using 2 eggs sunside up.
YUMM!
This turned out wonderful! Simple to follow and looks fancy but was actually pretty easy to do (and I’d call myself a novice, at best). I used dairy-free heavy cream for the hollandaise and it was perfect!