Eggs à la Florentine

The cheese in this dish complements the spinach superbly.  It makes an excellent supper dish.

Preparation Time: 10 Mins

Cooking Time: 35 Mins

Total Time: 65 Mins

Ingredients

For 2 servings…

  Spinach          

30 gms            Butter       

  Salt              

1 pinch            Nutmeg     

1 tbs               Gruyère cheese  - grated        

4 Eggs            

2 tbs               Mornay sauce          

For the Mornay sauce

250 ml             Béchamel sauce  - beaten       

35 gms            Gruyère cheese  - grated        

1 Egg yolk        

½ tbs              Milk          

2 tbs               Cream  - double       

For the Béchamel base of the Mornay sauce

250 ml             Milk          

1                    Bay leaf     

1 slice             Onion       

1 blade            Mace        

15 gms            Butter       

15 gms            Flour        

                     Pepper      

                     Salt          

                     Nutmeg  - grated     

Method

Heat an oven to 200°C.

Wash the spinach, sprinkle with salt and stew with the butter.  Drain and mix in the nutmeg.  Garnish the bottom of a gratin dish with it and sprinkle on the Gruyère cheese.  Break the eggs on the garnish.  Cover with two tablespoons of Mornay sauce.

Cook in the oven for 7 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Serve.

To make the Mornay source…

Prepare a Béchamel sauce…

Gently heat the milk with the bay leaf, onion and mace.  Remove from the heat just as the milk boils, cover the pan and set aside for at least 30 minutes.  Strain the milk and discard the flavouring ingredients.  Melt the butter over a low heat in a heavy based saucepan.  Add the flour and stir briskly until the mixture is smoothly blended, without allowing it to change colour.  Gradually stir in the milk and bring to the boil, beating well to prevent any lumps forming.  Season with salt and pepper and (according to the use for which the sauce is destined) a little grated nutmeg.  Simmer the sauce gently for 3-5 minutes, stirring from time to time.

To make the Mornay sauce…

To the Béchamel sauce add the Gruyère cheese and stir until all the cheese has melted.  Take the sauce from the heat and add the egg yolks beaten with the milk.  Bring slowly to the boil, whisking all the time.  Remove from the heat and add the cream.

Wine recommendations

A robust white wine.

Conventional

     Côtes du Rhône blanc

Interesting

     Côte Chalonnaise blanc

     Côtes du Luberon blanc

     Riesling