Eggs Florentine

Sorry I didn't manage to post anything last week. I was busy first trying to figure out the best way to explain correlations and dissociations between musical, genetic, and linguistic similarities among aboriginal Taiwanese tribes, followed by trying to figure out the best way to teach small children to sing.

Actually, although we've made several delicious meals over the last two weeks, including a lovely Sunday brunch this morning of french toast, bacon, bananas, maple syrup and fresh whipped cream this morning, none of them looked very pretty. So, we're dipping into our pre-Lord Jeff's Table archives today for a much nicer-looking Sunday brunch from a few months back: Eggs Florentine.

Growing up in Wellington, New Zealand, I loved going to cafes. The ones there have the most amazing coffee, food, and just general atmosphere. A bunch of my friends and I used to go to Epic cafe as often as we could manage for their legendary 2-for-1 Tuesday breakfasts. We kept going whenever I was in town, until one day a month or two before I moved to Canada there was a sign on the door saying it was closed until further notice. Word on the street was that the owner suddenly closed shop and fled somewhere to avoid some bills he couldn't pay...

Anyway, although I had learned to cook delicious french toast at home, I always thought of Eggs Benedict and its hollandaise sauce cousins as something I could only get at a restaurant. That is, until I saw it in Anne Willan's The Good Cook and decided to give it a shot.

It's actually much easier to make than it seems, and looks good, so it's great for impressing people. Just be sure not to overheat the sauce and you'll be fine. We've found that substituting lime sauce for lemon sauce makes it even more delicious (if such a thing was possible).

The main secret, other than not curdling the sauce, is to poach the eggs right. When you poach them just the right amount, they are firm, but the insides gently ooze out when you cut them and it looks and tastes AMAZING!