Eggs Florentine with Bacon, Creamed Spinach and Hollandaise

This is our all-time favourite breakfast and brunch item. However, we could probably eat this for any meal (read: every meal). A lightly toasted English muffin, topped with bacon, creamed spinach and a  poached egg; and the pièce de résistance- a velvety hollandaise.

Serves 2 double portions

Preparation time: 1 hour

You Will Need

• 2 English muffins
• 1 ½ cup creamed spinach
• Hollandaise sauce
• 8 Slices of bacon
• Pullet eggs (very small eggs that are great for poaching)
• Chives for garnish
• Butter

Creamed Spinach

Ingredients

• 400-500g spinach- stems removed
• 2 tbsp double cream
• 1 tsp salted butter
• 1 clove garlic
• Fresh nutmeg
• Salt

Method

• In a large pot, bring ½ cup of water to boil with a pinch of salt.
• Add all of the spinach to the pot, close the lid. Turn down the temperature and allow the spinach to steam for about 5 minutes.
• Once cooked, remove the spinach from the pot and press out as much of the liquid as you can. Set aside.
• Empty the saucepan, and add the cream, garlic, butter and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Over low heat, simmer the ingredients together for about 2-3 minutes and remove from the heat.
• Using a large knife, finely chop the spinach and transfer to a sieve to press out the remaining liquid with a large spoon.
• Once you’ve removed as much of the liquid as you can, return the finely chopped spinach to the saucepan, and combine the spinach and cream mixture. Set aside.

Bacon

Bacon, creamed spinach and nutmeg

Frying bacon

Cover the bacon with a smaller lid to keep the bacon flat during the cooking process

Cooked bacon on an English muffin

Ingredients

• 8 slices of bacon
• Oil or butter for frying if you’re not using streaky bacon

Method

• Place a small amount of oil or butter in a saucepan and arrange the bacon in the in the saucepan.
• Turn on the heat, and place a small lid into the saucepan to press the bacon down, and keep it flat while cooking. Once browned on one side, turn the bacon over and brown on the other side, again placing the small lid inside the pan to hold the bacon flat down.
• Once cooked and browned, remove from the heat and set aside.

Hollandaise sauce

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 1½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup salted butter
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of cayenne pepper

Method

Use a bowl with a round base

Make sure the rounded bowl does not touch the base of the saucepan

Whisk the egg and lemon mixture briskly

• Melt the butter and set aside to cool down a bit.
• Use a bowl with a rounded base, that fits into a small saucepan without touching the bottom of the saucepan. In the saucepan, pour enough water so that the base of the rounded bowl does not touch the water when they are placed onto one another. On low heat, start warming the water in the saucepan.
• Prepare a second larger bowl with cold water and ice, so that the mixture can be cooled quickly when cooked.
• In the rounded bowl, combine 4 egg yolks and lemon juice. Briskly whisk the mixture until the eggs become a lighter colour.
• Once well combined, place the rounded bowl with the egg yolks and lemon onto the small saucepan with heated water, and continue whisking the mixture briskly.
• NOTE: Make sure you regularly scrape the sides, and that the water does not reach boiling point, as the high heat will cause the eggs to cook too quickly and become scrambled eggs.
• Whilst whisking the egg mixture over the heat, spoon the cooled, melted butter into the egg mixture, one tablespoon at a time. The mixture will gradually begin to thicken and increase in volume. Continue this process until all the butter has been incorporated in the mixture.
• Remove the bowl from the heat, and place the bowl with the thickened mixture into the bowl with cool water to instantly stop the cooking process.
• Now add the salt and cayenne to the thickened sauce.
• If your sauce it too thick for your liking, you can spoon a tablespoon of the warm cooking water into the mixture whilst whisking briskly. Add the water little by little, mixing in each tablespoon of water completely before adding more water.
• Set aside.

English muffins

• Whilst poaching the eggs, toast the halved English muffins, and spread a thin layer of hollandaise sauce on the base.

Poaching eggs

Poaching eggs

Heated water ready for poaching eggs

Pink rock salt

Ingredients

• 4 small pullet eggs (30-45g each)
• 2 tbsp Vinegar
• 1 tsp salt

Method

• In a deep saucepan, heat 2-3 cm of water mixed with vinegar and salt.
• Once the water begins to form small bubbles on the base, gently break the eggs into the water. The water should just cover the yolks of the eggs. Allow the eggs to cook to your preference, and remove eggs from the water, onto kitchen paper to drain away excess water.

Plating your eggs Florentine with bacon

• Place your English muffin on a serving plate, and spread lightly with butter or hollandaise sauce.
• Arrange 2 slices of bacon on each half of the toasted English muffins.
• Spoon the cream spinach mixture onto the bacon, and spread the mixture with the back of a spoon.
• Now place your freshly poached eggs on top of the spinach mixture, and spoon hollandaise over the top of the egg stack.
• Garnish with cayenne pepper and freshly chopped spring onions.
• Serve immediately.

Eggs Florentine with poached pullet eggs, bacon and hollandaise sauce

Eggs Florentine with poached pullet eggs, bacon and hollandaise sauce

Eggs Florentine with poached pullet eggs, bacon and hollandaise sauce

Eggs Florentine with poached pullet eggs, bacon and hollandaise sauce

Eggs Florentine with poached pullet eggs, bacon and hollandaise sauce

Bon Apetit!