Eggs florentine with cheese sauce
Poached eggs on toasted English muffins and garlicky spinach, draped in a silky swiss cheese sauce, a brunch classic that makes a special dinner.
- 35 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 2
- About $3.36 a serving
- 560 calories
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup Swiss cheese, shredded
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 package baby spinach, 5 oz
- 2 English muffins, split
- 4 large eggs
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 pinch paprika
Each serving has about 560 calories, 31 g protein, 39 g carbs and 31 g fat, and costs about $3.36 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Fill a medium two-thirds full of water, add the vinegar and bring to a gentle over medium heat.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heat
Dolly’s tip: Small bubbles, not a rolling boil. Hard boiling tears poached eggs apart.the butter in a small over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and , , until thick, 2 to 3 minutes.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Take the sauce off the heat and stir in the swiss, parmesan, mustard and of salt until smooth. Cover to keep warm.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Heat the oil in a over medium heat. Add the garlic for 30 seconds, then the spinach and of salt, and stir until , about 2 minutes.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Wilt. Wilting means cooking leafy greens just until they go soft and collapse. Greens shrink a lot, so a big pile of spinach becomes a small handful, and that’s normal.
How you’ll know: The leaves turn soft and deep green and slump into the pan, usually within a minute or two.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min
Toast the English muffins and set 2 halves on each plate.
Crack each egg into a small cup.
Stir the water in a circle and slide in 2 eggs.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heat
Cook until the whites are set and the yolks begin to , 3½ to 4 minutes.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 45 sec
Dolly’s tip: Lift one with a slotted spoon and give it a gentle poke. Firm white and a soft, thickened yolk means done.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel and the other 2 the same way.
Poach. Poaching means cooking food gently in liquid that’s hot but barely bubbling. It keeps delicate things like eggs, fish or chicken moist and tender.
How you’ll know: The liquid just shivers, with an occasional small bubble and never a rolling boil.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 45 sec
Top each muffin half with spinach and an egg, spoon over the cheese sauce and finish with of paprika.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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