Eggs Florentine

The first time I made this dish, it was the coldest day we had in Pgh! So we decided not to go out to brunch but rather make food at home. It was complete with cranberry compote and brie french toast and homefries. Nom.

Today is the last day we're working before the Tet holiday. Technically we get a 10 day holiday, but since my Vietnamese is ridiculous I accidentally told my cousin we could go on a beach trip with her family which means 12 days for us!!! We're spending time with my grandparents closer to the city center. Out here, we're on the outskirts of the city and it takes about 40 minutes to get there. We want to go to the center because there's lots of options for food (found French, Italian, Japanese, and even Mexican food) and an organic market. I'm going to gather some ingredients to try and make my grandparents brownies with no measuring cups and basically just a rice cooker, ha. It's supposed to be possible since I read it online anyways...

For each person:
1 egg muffin, split in half and toasted
1 egg, poached
1 slice swiss cheese
few leaves spinach
ground black pepper

Hollandaise sauce:
3 large egg yolks
1 stick butter, melted
1-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
pinch cayenne pepper
Salt

Whisk the egg yolks in a stainless steel bowl until light in color and frothy. Boil a small pot of water and turn off heat. Place the bowl on top of the pot of water and whisk the egg yolks until thickened (about 2-3 minutes). Make sure the eggs don't cook. Whisking constantly, very slowly add melted butter, then whisk in lemon juice, cayenne and salt. If not serving right away, keep the sauce nearby a warm place (like on the stovetop.  You may need to add 1 drop of boiling water at a time to the sauce if it solidifies.

For a crowd, I place the egg muffins cut side up with a slice of the swiss cheese on each in a 300 degree oven to keep them toasty. Then I make the hollandaise sauce and set it aside while poaching eggs. To poach the eggs, bring a small pot of 2-3 inches of water just barely to a simmer. Lower the heat a bit and add a splash of vinegar to the water. Crack the egg into a small bowl. Using a slotted spoon, swirl the water and add the egg to the middle. Let it sit for about 3 minutes then when it looks done use the slotted spoon to take the poached egg out.
Place a couple spinach leaves on the toasted egg muffin and then place the poached egg on top. If waiting to serve until all the eggs are assembled, you can leave the finished ones in the oven to stay warm. Right before serving spoon a generous tablespoonful of hollandaise right on top of the poached egg. Then garnish with freshly ground pepper and serve!