Baked Eggs Florentine with Pecorino Crema

eggs florentine

Eggs Florentine is the perfect weekend breakfast or brunch, it’s elegant, so delicious, simple to make with just a few ingredients. If you do a search you’ll find many different variations of this dish, I even put a little Italian spin on mine.

One thing that’s certain about Eggs Florentine is that spinach is the star ingredient, in fact the term Florentine will always indicate that the dish uses spinach.spinach and creama

I had a one pound bag of baby spinach and a container of spreadable Crema di Pecorino Romano that a friend gave me to try, she was curious about it and thought I’d like to try it, which I did.

 

I’ve actually seen it before at my Italian market in the cheese department but never picked one up. It has the consistency of a softened cream cheese flavored with Pecorino Romano.eggs florentine

Since Eggs Florentine generally has a cream sauce that’s mixed in with the spinach, I thought this crema would be perfect, but you could also achieve the same flavors and texture by reducing some cream and adding grated Pecorino, or parmesan cheese for that matter, either would work well.eggs florentine

The eggs lay on a base of homemade marinara which is already flavored with garlic, onions and herbs, you can also substitute a good store bought brand just as long as it’s flavored nicely, so because of that you really don’t have to do anything to flavor the spinach other than wilting it down with a knob of butter and then tossing it into the creamy Pecorino to get it nicely coated.

eggs florentine

I like to use a rectangle baking dish when making this because you’ll be able to cut out a perfect square portion per person.
eggs florentineeggs florentineeggs florentine

Add a little crusty bread on the side if you like and you’re good to go. Make this for breakfast or brunch on your next slow weekend, you’ll love every bite!

Follow Proud Italian Cook on Instagram to see what else I’m cooking up during the week.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Baked Eggs Florentine with Pecorino Crema
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. bag of baby spinach
  • butter
  • 5 oz. container of Crema di Pecorino, warmed and melted down with a splash of cream to loosen it, or make your own by reducing some heavy cream or half and half with a couple tablespoons of grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese until it thickens up, ending up with 5 ounces.
  • Marinara, homemade or store bought, flavored with garlic and herbs, just enough to coat the bottom of the baking dish.
  • 6 large eggs
Instructions
  1. I used a 8x11 rectangle baking dish which perfectly fit 6 eggs and all of the spinach that was wilted down.
  2. Spoon marinara onto the bottom of the baking dish.
  3. Start wilting down your spinach, I did it in 3 batches for that amount, placing a knob of butter in a large skillet and tossing it until it wilts, which only takes a few minutes, then set aside.
  4. Drain the spinach in a fine strainer if alot of moisture forms.
  5. Create your cheese sauce either way then toss your wilted spinach into it, saving a little of the sauce to spoon on top when finished.
  6. Spread the creamed spinach on top of the marinara in the baking dish, making 6 indentions for the eggs.
  7. Crack each egg one by one into a separate bowl and let it fall into each spinach indention.
  8. Season with pepper, no need to add salt because the Pecorino is salty enough.
  9. Bake in a 350F oven at least 20 minutes or more or until the white of the egg firms up and is not jiggly.
  10. Remove and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting it, if you have some leftover crema, you can spoon some on top of each portion.
  11. Enjoy!

 

Signature

Baked Eggs in Pepper Cups with Mushrooms, Leeks and Kale

baked eggs in pepper cups

In case you’re hungry this morning I wanted to leave you with a little something for breakfast. Something easy to make especially if you just cleaned out your fridge like I did. I was left with one leek, a small bunch of kale, a handful of roasted tomatoes and mushrooms and a few colored peppers. So I decided to make baked eggs in pepper cups, and so can you.

Ingredients for baked eggs in pepper cups Grab some leftover veggies, whatever you have, you won’t need a lot, they can be sautéed, roasted or grilled it doesn’t matter, they’re all good. The main thing you will need is some good sized bell peppers, big enough to pour an egg into along with your veggies, any color pepper will do.

Cut your peppers in half, clean out the membranes so you have lots of room in there and scrape the seeds, then drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

baked eggs in pepper cups Place your cleaned out pepper halves into a baking dish drizzled with olive oil then add some cheese on the bottom of each, whatever melts good, I used fontina.

Now take your veggies and place them into the pepper cup, on top of the cheese, leaving room enough to plop an egg in the middle. TIP: crack your egg into a small bowl first, like a ramekin, then gently pour the cracked egg into the pepper cup, the egg white will run so wait a second and let it settle into everything.  Bake at 375 degrees F. until peppers are tender and egg sets.

baked eggs in pepper cups Garnish with extra veggies on top and all around your baking dish, this is great for breakfast or brunch!

 

Signature

Weekend Eats

A Creamy Berry Puff Pancake is the perfect thing to make for that lazy weekend breakfast, why go out when you can pull this together in no time while you’re still all comfy and cozy in your slippers!

Put the coffee on, relax and read the Sunday paper while it’s baking in the oven, it only takes
20 – 25 minutes.

The batter takes 5 minutes to whisk up, it consists of ,** 1 cup of flour** 1 cup of milk** 4 beaten eggs** a pinch of salt** 1 teaspoon of vanilla** 1 tablespoon of sugar**
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in an 8 inch oven proof skillet, next pour 1 cup of the batter in, swirl it around and place it in a preheated 450F oven for 20 – 25 minutes.
You’ll be able to make two 8 inch pans like I did, using 1 cup of batter in each or one large pan using all the batter plus the 2 tablespoons of butter. I would think at least a 12 inch skillet size would work, although I never tried it. I have a 14 inch and I figured that was too big.
The sides puffed up perfectly just like they’re suppose to, creating the perfect vessel to fill!

I filled mine with berries and sweetened ricotta as the base, the ricotta was mixed with,
** orange zest and powdered sugar** **less than a cup of ricotta** ** 2 0r 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar**, taste it to your liking.
Slice it into generous wedges and drizzle with warm maple syrup for the perfect ending!
Recipe adapted from food.com

If you prefer brunch, make yourself this Pasta Frittata, you’ll be amazed at the different variations you can create with just, **a handfull of leftover pasta** some eggs** a dollop of ricotta cheese** grated cheese** and fresh herbs**
After my frittata’s start to “set” on top of the stove (where the egg mixture stops moving), I like to finish them off under the broiler, but don’t walk away, keep watching it, believe me it could burn in a matter of seconds! Just get it nice and golden brown.

I like to serve this with an arugula salad tossed with an olive oil, lemon and parmesan dressing. So good!

If you want to add a little meat to your morning breakfast try this Baked Sausage and Eggs.
I like to serve this in individual gratin dishes for a nice presentation.
** Preheat your oven to 375F. ** Use 1 link of Italian sausage per serving, casings removed and browned before baking** Butter or brush olive oil into your gratin dish** Crack 2 eggs plus 1 egg white into each individual dish** Sprinkle your favorite dried seasonings over top along with grated parmesan cheese, I used fennel and oregano for mine** Scatter with halved cherry tomatoes** Bake until eggs set, ovens will vary**
Relax and enjoy your weekend!
Buon Appetito
Signature

Eggs al Forno

Al Forno means “from the oven” and that’s exactly where I like to get my breakfast from on a cold and rainy weekend morning. A thick sliced crusty baguette layered with cheese, topped with an egg, and more cheese. Crunchy, creamy and oozing with goodness!

So simple to make, here are your ingredients.

Heat oven to 500F.
Butter an individual casserole dish** Place a thick slice or two of a toasted baguette snugly in the bottom of the dish** Drizzle with olive oil** Sprinkle grated fontina cheese all over the bread along with grated Parmesan** Crack and egg or two on top of the cheese** Sprinkle with more grated Parmesan, salt and fresh ground pepper and another drizzle of olive oil** Garnish with sliced scallions** Bake until eggs are set, about 10 minutes**
Recipe adapted from La Brea Bakery


Make sure the coffee is brewed and serve this up immediately while it’s still nice and warm!
Enjoy your weekend!
Buon Appetito!
Signature

Sunday Brunch!

If your not a brunch person you will be after you see Gale Gand’s new cookbook, “Gale Gand’s Brunch”. The other day I had about a half hour to kill before an appointment so I walked into Barnes and Noble bookstore and was immediately drawn to the cover of her new book. One look at the cover and I knew I was going to make this for brunch on Sunday!

Baked eggs, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and pesto all wrapped up in a pretty little package of smokey ham. I quickly scribbled down the recipe on the back of a receipt I had in my purse.

This was so simple to make and the flavors blended perfectly together, it’s great for a Sunday morning, or a nice brunch party. I don’t have the recipe word for word but basically you take a muffin tin and butter it, purchase the biggest piece of ham you can find at the deli, fold it in half, and half again and fan it out into the tin.

Place a dollop of pesto on the bottom, gently crack and egg on top, one egg worked for me better, but Gale used two. Tuck a couple of cubes of fresh mozzarella on the side and a cherry tomato. Bake in a 375F oven for about 20 minutes, but mine actually took about a half hour.

When cooked through remove from muffin tin, place in a bowl and put another dollop of pesto on top! I’m telling you this is so good, give it a try! We loved it so much, and can’t wait to make it again! I need to get this book, she also has a great breakfast torta I’m dying to try!
Buon appetito!

Signature