Eggs Sardou with Cheese Grits
“How do you like your eggs in the morning?”
“Boiled or fried I’m satisfied as long as I get my kiss.”
From a vintage Dean Martin song.
Eating eggs from domesticated fowl goes back many centuries. They’re a wonderful food just by themselves. They can be boiled, poached, fried, scrambled, pickled, baked, aged, and used as a binding agent to hold other ingredients together. They’re used raw in dressings such as a classic Caesar Salad. Many a hangover cure involves a raw egg. No wonder they’re called the incredible, edible egg.
Among all of their guises, I believe that poached eggs are the most seductive. Some chefs deep fry poached eggs to add texture to their soft exterior. Many more simply dress them up as stars on a menu than can be served from breakfast through brunch, all the way to a late night, post-theater dinner.
Eggs Benedict may well be the most famous egg dish. Then there are Eggs Florentine, Eggs Houssard, Eggs Hemingway, and Eggs Sardou – all variations of a brunch stack topped with a poached egg under a rich sauce, most often hollandaise.
The very thought of poaching eggs and making a Hollandaise sauce strikes fear in many cooks. Both are actually very simple. The individual steps in creating poached egg dishes can also be done at a relaxed pace and the whole assembled at the last minute before serving. The video below may help allay any fear.
I’m going to lighten up traditional Eggs Sardou to make it a healthier, everyday vegetarian dish. Instead of creamed spinach, we’ll sauté some fresh spinach. In place of the egg and butter-laden Hollandaise, we’ll make a béchamel sauce flavored with mustard. You could lighten the sauce even further by substituting stock for the milk, making it a Sauce Velouté.
Eggs Sardou with Cheese Grits
Poaching eggs:
Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml.) salt
- 2 tablespoon (30 ml.) white vinegar
Method:
- Break each egg into a tea cup with a handle, 1 egg per cup.
- Fill a large sauté pan almost to the rim with water and bring to a boil.
- Add the salt and vinegar.
- Carefully lower the cups into the boiling water while tipping the edges opposite the handle into the water.
- When the water begins entering the cups, pour out the eggs.
- Remove pan from the heat, cover and let the eggs cook for exactly 4 minutes for cooked whites and medium-firm yolks. For extra-large eggs leave in 4½ minutes.
- Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon to a plate covered with several layers of paper towels.
(Alternately, remove the eggs to an ice water bath to stop cooking if holding to use later.) - Poached eggs can be held under cold water in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat stored eggs, gently lower into boiling water for about 20-30 seconds.
Mustard Sauce
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml.) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml.) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml.) dry mustard
- 1½ cups (360 ml.) heated milk
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml.) Dijon mustard
Method:
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and dry mustard until it is well blended.
- Slowly whisk in the hot milk and stir constantly until mixture thickens.
- Whisk in the Dijon mustard.
- Keep warm until serving time. Whisk any skin that forms on top back into the sauce.
Sautéed Spinach
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml.) olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Method:
- Heat the olive oil in a stock pot large enough to hold the spinach.
- Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
- Add the spinach and toss until it reduces in volume and is limp but still bright green.
- Remove to a warm plate and hold until assembly.
Cheese Grits
Ingredients:
- 3 cups (720 ml.) water
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml.) salt
- 1 cup (240 ml.) corn grits
- 1 cup (240 ml.) cheese, grated
Method:
- Bring the water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- Stir in the grits, reduce heat and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
For the canned artichoke bottoms:
- 4 artichoke bottoms (There will probably be many more in the can than you need. Store the remainder in the refrigerator for another use.)
- Rinse and warm in some hot water. Pat dry.
Assembly:
- Ladle a generous portion of the cheese grits in the center of plate.
- Place two of the artichoke bottoms on the grits.
- Place some sautéed spinach in each artichoke bottom.
- Place a poached egg on each stack and top with the mustard sauce.
- Garnish with something colorful such as paprika, chives or fresh herbs.
Similar recipes from our archives:
Bon appétit
— Charles
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PDFCategory: Brunch/Breakfast, Eggs
About the Author (Author Profile)
Music, food and photography are at the center of Charles’ life. He performed with the Dallas Symphony, Dallas Opera and was assistant principal bassoonist with the Fort Worth Symphony for more than 20 years. When Charles and Victor moved to Baltimore, Charles created Lone Star Personal Chef and Catering Service and taught cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma. Now in Salem, Charles is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Mountain West Real Estate, taught cooking classes for children at the A.C. Gilbert Discovery Village, and owns and operates Charles Price Photography. Charles and Vic enjoy entertaining and frequently host dinners as fundraisers for local non-profits and charities
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I love eggs and theese eggs with cheese grits looks AMAZING! I will do it soon. Really nice. Thank you!