The '90s Called. They Want Their Brunch Dish Back.

In the 1990s, I lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, just a “scone’s throw” (ha!) from a dozen brunch joints with almost identical menus: Waffles, pancakes, or French toast, all drowning in maple syrup and toasted nuts.

After a few hundred sluggish Sunday afternoons, I had to face the fact that the protein in three-and-a-half pecans was not enough to offset the carbohydrate coma of a hubcap-sized pancake, so I looked for a less enervating alternative.

The most balanced option I found in most places was Eggs Florentine – a toasted English muffin topped with sautéed spinach and poached eggs, with Hollandaise sauce (served on the side for those of us who preferred NOT to have to unbutton our jeans midway through brunch). In other words: Eggs Benedict made with greens instead of meat.

Those Manhattan brunches are a distant memory now, and I haven’t had Eggs Florentine in ages. But when I found myself staring at a bunch of about-to-wilt beet greens in my fridge earlier today, I wondered if I could make an updated brunch dish with them.

Here’s what I did to serve just myself, alone in the kitchen on a Tuesday afternoon. You can double the recipe for a two-person brunch, but don't plan on serving this to a crowd. It'd be hard to make in a non-commercial kitchen without starting from scratch with each couple of servings. 

Updated Eggs Florentine

Wash and dry 3 Cups chopped greens (beet greens; chard; kale or good ol’ spinach)

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet. Add 1 garlic clove, minced, and a few gratings from a whole nutmeg or a tiny pinch from a jar. (If you hate nutmeg or don’t have any on hand, just skip it.) Sautee over medium-high heat just until the garlic starts to color. Careful not to let it burn.

Add greens and a pinch of salt and sautee until cooked through, 3-5 minutes depending on what greens you're using. The tougher the raw leaves, the longer they'll need. 

Toast 2 slices good whole-grain bread (I like Chabasso’s Raining Grains Ciabatta; if you buy it at Stop and Shop, the bakery-counter folks will be happy to run the loaf through the slicer for you so that you have thin, even pieces.)

Meanwhile, poach two eggs.  (To poach eggs in the microwave, put  ½ Cup water in each of two tea cups.  Gently break an egg into each of the cups. Nuke for a minute. If the egg whites don’t look opaque yet after a minute, microwave for another 10 seconds at a time until ready. Drain into a bowl with a slotted spoon, discard water and, ta-da! Poached eggs!) Or, you can fry the eggs sunny-side up, if you prefer.

Put toast on a plate. Top with the sautéed greens and then the eggs. If you want, you can grate a little parmesan cheese on top – but skip the Hollandaise. When you puncture the egg yolks, they become their own sauce, anyway.   

What "retro" brunch dish would YOU like to see made healthier? Let me know, and I will give it a whirl…