Eggs Florentine

Okay, so I actually made this dish like a week and a half ago and totally forgot to post the recipe until now. The recipe comes from my cookbook, Good Food Made Simple: Vegetarian (Link here).

Eggs Florentine

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh spinach leaves, washed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (the recipe says to have extra for greasing the pan, but I just used Pam spray)
3/4 cup sliced white button mushrooms
1/3 cup pine nuts (it says toasted, but I forgot that step and it still tasted good)
6 scallions, sliced
4 eggs
3 tablespoons flour (it says whole-wheat flour, but I used regular)
1 1/4 cups milk, warmed
1 teaspoon English mustard (I used Dijon)
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Serves: 4 (Calories: 477 per serving); Prep time: 20 minutes, according to the cookbook, but mine was probably 40 minutes; Cooking time: 40 minutes

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Get the excess water of off the spinach, put it in a large sauce pan over medium heat, and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover and cook 2 - 3 minutes, until wilted.

2. Drain the spinach, pressing out the excess liquid.

3. Chop the spinach and place in a greased ovenproof dish. I waited a few minutes for the spinach to cool before I chopped it.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat (I cooked every part of the meal in the same pan to save on dishes). Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

5. Add the pine nuts and scallions and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Spread the mixture over the spinach.

7. The next step is to poach the eggs. I have a fancy gadget for poaching, but you can do it the old-school way.

8. Arrange the poached eggs on top of the mushroom mixture in the pan.

9. While the eggs are cooking, melt the remaining butter in the saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes.

10. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the warmed milk. Return to the heat and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture boils and thickens.

11. Stir in the mustard and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Continue stirring until the cheese has melted. Season with salt and pepper, then pour over the eggs evenly.

12. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

13. Cook in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe review: It seems complicated because I broke it down into so many steps, but it actually is really easy. It's best to read all the directions first, and figure out what steps can be done at the same time. Also, next time I make this, I think I'll double the spinach. It cooks down a lot. Anywho, my grandma, friend Vanessa, and I agree that this dish is amazing - definitely a keeper!

Happy eating.

Cheers,
Emma

P.S. Today's cute photo is my cat Izzy lying on top of our napkins.