I was watching Ann Burrell the other day “The Best Thing I Ever Made,” a Food Network show – she turned out an Eggs Flameco that looked marvelous – that recipe, though, reminded me of another old favorite, and a much healthier one: Eggs Florentine.

Eggs Florentine

Lightly poached eggs nestled into a bed of fresh, flavorful sautéed spinach, gently napped with a Mornay cheese sauce and broiled until golden brown, bubbly and delicious…it may be a bit of a cheat, but I’ve found that even those who aren’t terribly fond of spinach lap it up with a little cheese sauce.  How could one go wrong?

Well, there are a couple of ways: overcook your poached eggs, use frozen spinach (ok in a pinch but is very watery and gets way overcooked), use a hollandaise instead of the gorgeous Morney, or futz up the simple, beautiful flavors with a gloppy mixture of mayo, sour cream, and other “shortcut” ingredients.

Poached Eggs in the Microwave

There ARE several steps to making this, but this classic Italian dish is well worth the few extra minutes to lightly saute the spinach and whisk up a small amount of Mornay. The microwave poached eggs are a marvelous shortcut that you’ll use over and over. They turn out so wonderfully that you’ll never poach in a pan again!

I put this on the table with careful shopping (see below) for about $4.76. If the whim strikes you, add a bit of toast, a slice or two of bacon (or prosciutto), and you’ve got a meal that goes from breakfast to brunch to dinner with ease. Serve with a little malt vinegar for the spinach and some hot sauce for those who like to doctor things up.

Eggs Florentine

Eggs Florentine

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• Author: mollie kirby
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

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Final Dish:

• poach 4 eggs
• Make Mornay sauce (recipe follows)
• Saute Spinach (recipe follows)
• 2 tablespoons finely grated cheese
• 1 large tomato or two small, cut into slices for the side, optional
• Paprika for garnish

Mornay Sauce:

Makes about 1 cup

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and white pepper to taste
• 2 ounces, about 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère or Swiss

Sauteed Spinach:

• 2 bunch of spinach, washed and tough ends removed, about 10 ounces each
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 onion, minced
• Salt and white pepper
• Several grates of nutmeg

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Instructions

Final Dish:

Divide sautéed spinach among 4 plates. Top each with a poached egg and 1/4 of the Mornay sauce. Sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese. Optional: Place briefly under the broiler until the cheese browns just a bit in spots. Sprinkle with paprika.

Serve with a few tomato slices. If you’re serving heartier appetites, use two eggs per person.

Note:

• To make it easy on yourself, put all the plates on a cookie sheet and broil them at once. Have a second set of plates ready and place the hot plate on top of a cool one for serving.
• If broiling, if your Florentines don’t seem to get too brown, don’t worry about it – it’s better to take them out pale rather than have the eggs and spinach overcooked. Sprinkle with a bit of paprika for color.

Mornay Sauce:

Melt butter in small saucepan, when foaming subsists add in flour and stir briskly with a whisk for a moment, do not allow to brown. Pour in milk, whisking continuously until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, add seasonings, and stir in cheese until melted. Set aside.

Mornay sauce is simply a White Sauce with a bit of cheese added – it literally takes minutes to make.

Sauteed Spinach:

Melt butter in a large skillet or saucepan, saute the onion for just a moment or two until translucent. Add spinach (add it while still damp from washing) and saute several minutes until slightly wilted and softened.

Safety Note:

Raw or under cooked eggs may pose a safety risk.