Eggs Florentine (or Benedict)

Yesterday I made brunch for two of my favorite people. Sadly my attempt at eggs benedict/florentine was not a complete success. There was too much going on at once. Poaching the eggs was taking too long so I put the hollandaise in a double boiler to stay warm. Well it got too warm, and separated. The eggs had cooked and it looked curdled. At that point there was no way to save it. Luckily it still tasted delicious. So this morning I was determined to get it right. I did a few things differently that made a big difference.

First, I made the hollandaise by hand, with a whisk instead of with a food processor. I actually don't think I would do this again. I think the food processor is fine as long as you use my egg poaching technique. It is all about timing - if you are going to poach eggs the old-fashioned way then make the hollandaise by hand - the timing works better.

I also made sure the butter was hot enough, so that the eggs tempered properly, essentially ensuring the sauce wouldn't separate. I also developed a little trick that would allow me to poach all of the eggs at one time. I sprayed teacups with cooking spray and then cracked the eggs into them. I then set the teacups in simmering water. This allowed the eggs to set before finishing them in the water. The result was perfect and so easy once I figured it out.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 English muffins, split
8 large eggs, for poaching
Cooking spray, for poaching 

For the Hollandaise sauce
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (can substitute white wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons water
1 ¼ cups butter (2 ½ sticks), to make 1 cup clarified butter
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Kosher salt to taste 

If making Eggs Benedict
4 pieces of good ham steak (1/4-1/2 inches thick)
Canola oil for pan-frying 

If making Eggs Florentine
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 pound spinach, large stems removed, washed and dried
Kosher salt, white pepper, freshly ground nutmeg to taste

Start by poaching the eggs. Fill a large sauté pan ¾ of the way up the side of the pan with hot water and bring to a gentle boil. Spray 8 teacups and crack an egg in each cup. Carefully place the teacups in the boiling water.

Melt the butter for the hollandaise sauce on medium-low heat. Remove fat solids that rise to the top when you have time. Keep warm.

Next start the spinach or ham.

If making Eggs Benedict lightly brown the ham steaks over medium heat in a cast iron skillet. Remove from pan and set aside to rest.

If making Eggs Florentine, melt the butter in a large pasta pot. Add the shallot and sauté until soft and translucent, don’t let brown (~1-2 minutes). Add the spinach, stir to coat with butter, add salt, pepper, and nutmeg, stir again and cover. The spinach will wilt quickly, keep an eye on it, reduce heat to lowest setting to keep warm.

Start toasting English muffins.

If eggs are set (you can check them with a small spoon) lower the heat and carefully dump each egg in the gently simmering water. Keep an eye on them, when they are done use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate with a paper towel to drain.

Quickly make the hollandaise. Raise the temperature on the butter so it is just starting to bubble. Using a food processor (blender or whisk) combine the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and cayenne (4-5 pulses). Slowly add the hot butter with the processor running (~30 seconds), do not add the solids that have sunk to the bottom, try to just add the butter that is clarified. Pulse for 10 more seconds. Salt to taste, pulsing 2-3 times after each addition of more salt. You shouldn’t need more than a teaspoon of salt.

Immediately assemble and pour hollandaise sauce over each.

Bon appetit!