Eggs Benedict Florentine

This classic Eggs Benedict Florentine recipe combines all the best elements of breakfast, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, with savoury sautéed spinach and a crispy English muffin base. It’s the ultimate brunch dish for Eggs Benedict lovers!

Is your fear of poaching eggs or creating the perfect Hollandaise sauce stopping you from hosting the best brunch ever? I’ve got you! In this post, you’ll find two easy non traditional ways to poach eggs and an outstanding never fail super easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce recipe. So, make yourself a homemade Caramel Macchiato and read on!

Disclosure: This post is made possible by Egg Farmers of Alberta. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Eggs Benedict Florentine

If you are a fan of Eggs Benedict and spinach, this recipe is for you! All the usual eggs benny components are there, buttery rich Hollandaise sauce, a perfectly poached egg, and a pillowy English muffin. However, instead of back bacon or ham, the egg rests on a bed of sautéed baby spinach and garlic.

While many eggs Florentine-style recipes add cream or whole milk to the sautéed spinach, this eggs Florentine recipe features baby spinach sautéed in olive oil and garlic. You can think of it as a lighter version of an Eggs Benedict and it’s an especially great way to get in some extra greens.

Lastly but most importantly, you will want to save this recipe for your next fancy brunch (I’m thinking Mother’s Day!). Here’s why: Not only is this Eggs Florentine Benedict delicious… it is easy to make. Now, you may be thinking that I may be exaggerating how easy this dish really is. I swear to you, I am not.

Poaching eggs and making Hollandaise sauce are two of the most difficult brunch skills to master. However, I have ‘cracked’ the code, so to speak. In this post, I will show you:

1. How to make fail-proof Hollandaise sauce in under 5 minutes.
2. Two different ways to poach perfect eggs that don’t involve standing over a hot stove.

All You Need to Know About Eggs Benedict

In short, Eggs Benedict is a breakfast or brunch dish that consists of an English muffin topped with a back bacon (Canadian bacon), a poached egg, and a drizzle of Hollandaise sauce.

Though there are conflicting origin stories, the most accepted origin story of this beloved egg dish dates to 1860’s New York. There, it was invented by a chef at Delmonico’s who named it after a regular customer, Mrs. LeGrand Benedict. A few years later, chef Charles Ranhofer’s recipe for ‘Eggs à la Benedick’ appeared in The Epicurean as the first printed recipe for Eggs Benedict.

Eggs Benedict ‘Florentine’ is just ONE of the many variations of this classic breakfast food. Though it sounds fancy, ‘à la Florentine‘ is the French way to say it’s served with spinach. The Florentine princess, Catherine de Medici, loved spinach so much she brought spinach seeds from Italy to France when she married Prince Henry. And the rest is history.

Ingredients for Eggs Benedict Florentine

As with all Eggs Benedict recipes, this recipe contains a liberal amount of butter and farm fresh eggs. You can bake your own English muffins or buy them and toast them just before assembly.

• Eggs
• Butter
• Lemon
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Spinach
• English Muffins

For four servings, you will need a dozen large eggs. For this recipe, I bought special ‘dark yolk’ eggs, and the colour of the Hollandaise sauce is pale yellow. If you want ‘restaurant yellow’, add one or two drops of yellow food colouring.

Use salted butter for this recipe. If you prefer to adjust the seasoning yourself, use unsalted butter and go from there.

The vinegar is only required for the cold pan poaching method. It helps to keep the eggs from sticking together in the pan.

Baby spinach is preferable to older spinach. However, if you do use mature spinach, remove the tough stems and adjust the cooking time accordingly.

How to Make Eggs Benedict Florentine

Two Easy Ways to Poach Eggs

Cold Pan Method (for one or two eggs)- This method works well for one or two eggs, possibly four depending on the size of the saucepan and amount of boiled water. It produces a imperfectly rounded poached soft-to-medium poached egg.

Boil a kettle of water. While the water is boiling, pour vinegar into the bottom of a saucepan. Add enough to cover the bottom by 1/4 inch.

Gently crack one egg into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl or sink. Allow the thin whites to drain through then carefully lower it into the vinegar. Repeat with a second egg.

Carefully pour boiling water down the sides of the saucepan until the eggs are covered by 2 inches of boiling water.

Cover and turn burner on medium high for 1 minute. Turn off heat and allow the egg to sit for 5 minutes. Remove egg with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Repeat with another batch of eggs. If you have a larger saucepan, you may be able to do four eggs at one time.

Microwave Method – this quick method is good for poaching one egg at a time. It cooks a perfectly round and smooth poached egg. Since microwaves vary in strength, you may have to test the timing of your microwave to achieve your perfect poached egg.

Fill a microwave safe coffee mug half full of hot water. Crack an egg and strain it, then lower it into the coffee mug.

Cover with a plate and microwave on high for 45-60 seconds (depending on how efficient your microwave is). Remove egg with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Repeat with another egg, etc.

How to Make Blender Hollandaise

Add 4 egg yolks to the blender bowl. Pour in the warm water and lemon juice.

Blend on high speed until frothy (about 30 seconds). With the blender running on medium-low speed, slowly start to pour the hot melted butter into the egg mixture in a thin, steady stream. For more details, check out this post on Blender Hollandaise Sauce.

Putting the Eggs Benedict Florentine Together

Now that the eggs are perfectly poached and the Hollandaise is ready, it’s time to sauté the spinach. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.

Add the garlic and sauté for one minute then add the spinach, cooking it until it just begins to wilt only. Remove from heat and set aside while you toast the English muffins. Spread the English muffins with butter or a dollop of Hollandaise. Arrange sautéed spinach over the muffin, then top with a poached egg.

Pour Hollandaise over the egg and garnish with pepper, chili flakes, or fresh herbs like chives or parsley. Serve immediately with a delicious Grapefruit Mimosa.

5 Tips for Poaching Perfect Eggs

1. Buy the freshest eggs you can find. Fresh eggs have tight whites and less ‘stringy’ or loose whites. This will help the egg stay together in a nice tight shape as it is poaching.
2. Strain the eggs using a fine mesh sieve to remove any loose whites.
3. Start with fridge cold eggs. The cold temperature also helps to keep the whites nice and tight.
4. Add vinegar. The acid helps to keep the whites tight and prevents the eggs from sticking together when using the cold pan poaching method.
5. You can poach eggs up to five days in advance. Store them in a container of water in the fridge, then reheat by carefully lowering them into a bowl of boiling water for 20-30 seconds.