3 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3 T. water
3 egg yolks
1 cup unsalted butter, cut in pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 T. olive oil
4 cups fresh spinach
1 t. white wine vinegar
2 eggs
1 English muffin, split
¼ cup pea tendrils
EGGS FLORENTINE
Blake Faure, Co-Owner/Co-Executive Chef // Golden Pheasant Inn
Erwinna, Pa.
YIELD: 1 SERVING
at a time, until sauce is thick
(approximately 2-3 minutes).
Season with salt and pepper.
1. In small, heavy saucepan,
combine lemon juice and water.
Cook over high heat until reduced
to about 2 T. (approximately 3-5
minutes). Remove from heat;
whisk in egg yolks until fully
incorporated. Return pan to low
heat. Whisk in butter, one piece
2. Warm oil in saute pan over
medium heat. Saute spinach
until wilted. Season with salt
and pepper; set aside. Fill small,
heavy saucepan halfway with
water; add vinegar, bring to rolling
simmer. Carefully add eggs,
making sure not to break yolks.
Cook 2 minutes for soft poach
(longer for firmer poach). While
eggs cook, toast English muffin.
3. To serve: Top each English
muffin half with spinach, 1
poached egg, hollandaise and
pea tendrils.
beautiful with the roots still attached. She sampled them to
chefs, they loved them, and the radishes caught on with others.
Other;popular;micros;she;grows;are;hakurei;turnips;as
well as bull’s blood and golden beets. Sorrel is another popular
microgreen;for;its;many;varieties;and;sour;flavor,;Givens;says.
Red vein sorrel is her favorite, which she likes to pair with some-thing;sweet.;For;one;dinner;she;presented;a;roasted;beet;appetizer
that;included;hazelnuts,;goat;cheese;and;micro;sorrel.
Recently, Givens discovered the taste value of the micro
version;of;her;winter;soil;cover;crop—Austrian;peas.;She;had
planted;30;beds;of;them;for;the;winter;and;noticed;the;tender
shoots. She sampled them to her chefs, and they loved them.
She developed her own recipe, simply called Peas N Carrots,
combining micro carrots, pea shoots, a local mushroom, cream
and Grana Padano cheese.
Popcorn;shoots;are;a;favorite;of;Faure;with;Golden;Pheasant
Inn. “It’s a unique shoot from the corn family. The grower
actually grows the shoots in the dark, so it’s an albino shoot or
a;microherb,;basically,”;she;says.;She;uses;it;on;smoked;trout.
She;describes;the;flavor;of;popcorn;shoots;as;a;cross;between
popcorn;and;corn;with;an;almost;licorice;finish;to;it.
TAKING CARE
Given the cost of the delicate vegetation, chefs incorporate
procedures to keep micros from vanishing like vapor. Natural
hand;oil;can;diminish;microgreens,;so;Faure;requires;anyone
who handles them to wear gloves. She orders her micros from
growers who willingly grow whatever she requests, and picks
them;up;twice;a;week.;“It;takes;a;lot;of;balance;to;figure;out
(purchasing) based on your volume and time of year and how
much;you;need,”;she;says.
Sousa with Salt of the Earth admits that the high price
combined with the short shelf life prevented him from using
microgreens until he decided to grow them himself, employing
an;urban;farm;up;the;street.;He;uses;microgreens;in;conjunction
with;demi-greens,;which;he;describes;as;the;next;size;up.;He
brings the microgreens into the restaurant still growing in their
grow trays and cuts them as he needs them. “They’re only dead
for;a;minute;or;two;before;we;use;them,”;he;says.;Then;he;uses
plating;tweezers;to;place;the;microgreens;on;the;dish.
Halliday orders microgreens from The Chef’s Garden for all
of The Greenbrier. “The Greenbrier is so big and there are so
many people involved, I stay away from delicate microgreens
unless;I;deal;specifically;with;them,”;he;says.
He notes that The Chef’s Garden maintains regional weather
charts;of;forecast;temperatures;for;the;next;three;days;in;the;packing
room. The anticipated weather determines how the product is
packed for overnight delivery, whether with warm packs or ice
packs.;At;the;Greenbrier,;boxes;come;with;Halliday’s;name;on;it,
and one shelf is dedicated to The Chef’s Garden product.
Jones;at;The;Chef’s;Garden;notes;that;a;microgreen-handling
best practice among chefs is to remove from the cooler only the
amount;of;product;needed;in;the;next;hour;or;two,;and;return;the
rest of the package to the cooler immediately.
He;also;suggests;filling;the;bottom;of;a;stainless;steel;container
with ice and placing the micros indirectly on top of the ice to keep
them cool while working closely with them in the kitchen.
JOD Y SHEE, AN OLA THE, KAN.-BASED FREELANCE WRI TER AND EDI TOR, PREVIOUSLY WAS EDITOR OF A
FOODSERVICE MAGAZINE. SHE HAS MORE THAN 20 YEARS OF FOOD- WRITING EXPERIENCE AND WRITES
THE BLOG W W W. SHEEFOOD. COM.
