To commemorate National Eggs Benedict Day, we prepared Tastes Better from Scratch’s vegetarian Eggs Benedict Florentine.
To make this Eggs Benedict Florentine recipe, we first started out with a lightly toasted vegan sourdough “Original White” Dam Good™ English Muffin, then added a base layer of freshly sautéed spinach, and topped it with poached eggs from Vital Farms, lastly covered it with a spoonful of Lauren’s easily-prepared and delicious hollandaise sauce. Finally, for a garnish and added flavor, we sprinkled some Spanish paprika on top.
Here is a link to the original eggs Florentine recipe from Lauren's blog, Tastes Better from Scratch.
Orignal Eggs Florentine Recipe
"Ingredients:
4 large eggs
4 English muffins
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
10 cups baby spinach leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
For the Hollandaise Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lime juice
1-2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Make the Hollandaise Sauce:
1. Melt butter. Melt butter in a small sauce pan.
2. Beat egg yolks. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks. Add in the lime juice, heavy cream, and salt and pepper.
3. Tempur the eggs. Next you need to tempur the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot butter to the egg mixture. Stir it well and repeat this process, slowly adding one spoonful of hot butter to the egg mixture. We do this to avoid curdling the eggs.
4. Return to saucepan. Finally, add the whole mixture back to the saucepan and cook it for a few more seconds.
Poach the eggs:
1. Heat water. Fill the pot with about 3 inches of water. Heat the water until it starts to steam and bubble (just before boiling point).
2. Add vinegar. Add a splash of vinegar to the water (this helps the egg stay together once it is in the water).
3. Crack egg. Crack one egg in a small dish (I like to use a small measuring cup).
4. Whirlpool. Next, create a gentle whirlpool in the water by taking a large spoon and circling it around in the water. Poor your egg into the center of the swirl.
5. Cook. While it's cooking, make sure to watch the water temperature. You never want the water to boil, so if it gets too hot, you may need to turn down the heat. It should stay just below boiling point. How long you cook your poached egg depends on personal preference. I like to cook it for 3-4 minutes for a slightly runny yolk. Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon!
Cook Spinach:
1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Once melted, pour in the heavy cream, and let the mixture simmer for a couple minutes until is starts to thicken slightly.
2. Next, add baby spinach leaves and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes or until the leaves are wilted, and remove from heat and season with a dash of salt and pepper.
Assemble Eggs Florentine:
1. Now, toast the english muffin and lightly butter it. Next, layer spinach on top of the english muffin and place egg on top of spinach. Lastly, top with hollandaise sauce.
Notes:
For very best results, I like to make Hollandaise right when I am ready to eat my eggs Florentine. However, you can make Hollandaise sauce a day ahead of time. Keep it cooling in the refrigerator and when you are ready to eat it, reheat it for about 10-20 seconds in the microwave.
Store hollandaise sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days."
That being said, like our gourmet vegan sourdough English muffins, eggs Florentine Benedict is very versatile, and can be made many ways. For example, we recommend also trying recipes for baked eggs Florentine, scrambled eggs Florentine, spinach eggs Florentine, eggs Florentine with salmon, and egg white Florentine.
Lastly, if you are in a pinch and don’t have time to make homemade Hollandaise sauce, you can buy a premixed package which takes only about 10 minutes to make.
What is the difference between Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine?
Eggs Benedict traditionally consists of a split English muffin topped with a slice of Canadian bacon or ham, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. Some variations may include other ingredients like smoked salmon or spinach, but the basic components remain the same.
Eggs Florentine, on the other hand, is a variation of Eggs Benedict that substitutes spinach for the Canadian bacon or ham. The spinach is typically sautéed and placed on top of the English muffin before the poached egg and hollandaise sauce are added. Some variations may also include other ingredients like mushrooms or cheese.