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A fork piercing into the poached egg in a serving of Eggs Sardou, with runny yolk oozing out.
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Eggs Sardou (New Orleans-Style Poached Eggs with Creamed Spinach and Artichokes)

Eggs Sardou is a classic New Orleans breakfast dish that features creamed spinach, artichoke bottoms, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce. This elevated version, which strays from the more traditional, is from Brennan’s, a legendary NOLA restaurant with a celebrated culinary history.
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American, New Orleans
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 855kcal
Author: Victoria

Ingredients

Artichokes:

  • 4 artichoke bottoms fresh (prepped and cooked), frozen (thawed and blotted dry), or canned (drained and blotted dry)
  • ¼ cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • ½ cup (40 grams) panko bread crumbs
  • Neutral oil for frying
  • Kosher salt

Sauce Choron:

  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon white vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces / 56 grams) unsalted butter melted and preferably clarified
  • ½ tablespoon tomato paste
  • ½ tablespoon water or as needed
  • 1 to 2 dashes hot sauce
  • Kosher salt

Eggs:

  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 4 large eggs

Creamed Spinach:

  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup (25 grams) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1 clove garlic minced or crushed
  • ½ tablespoon butter
  • 8 ounces (225 grams) fresh baby spinach or mature spinach trimmed and roughly chopped if the latter
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:

  • Paprika and/or chervil, parsley, or chives, for garnish

Instructions

  • Bread the artichokes. Blot artichoke bottoms to make sure they are dry. Place flour, beaten egg, and panko in three shallow dishes to set up a breading station. Dredge each artichoke bottom first in flour, shaking off excess, then in the egg (you may want to use a spoon to scoop some egg into the cup of the artichoke bottom, then tilt it around to get coverage over the entire concave part), and finally in the panko. Set them aside on a plate and refrigerate until ready to fry them.
  • Make the sauce Choron. Add water to the saucepan and heat until simmering. Select a stainless steel or glass bowl that can rest over the top of a saucepan to create a double boiler. Whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, and vinegar in the bowl until light and foamy, about a minute.
  • Set the bowl on top of the simmering saucepan of water, not allowing the hot water to touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk the egg mixture over the double boiler for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is slightly thickened.
  • Remove the bowl from the heat and slowly start drizzling in the melted (preferably clarified) butter, a little at a time, whisking constantly but not too aggressively. Move the bowl back and forth to the double boiler as needed to continue to heat it gently, as needed, but remove it regularly to give it breaks from the heat.
  • Continue drizzling in the butter, at first with a slow pace but as the mixture begins to thicken more, you can add it a little faster. Once all the butter is added, whisk in the tomato paste, water, hot sauce, and some salt to season. Turn off the heat on the double boiler but keep the sauce warm until ready to serve. If it breaks or thickens too much while hanging out in the double boiler, whisk in a little hot water and it should re-emulsify/thin back out.
  • Cook the breaded artichokes. Set another paper towel-lined plate next to the stove. Heat 1 to 2 inches of oil in a small Dutch oven or deep-fryer to a temperature of 350°F/175°C. Add the breaded artichoke bottoms and fry for about 3 minutes, flipping over halfway through, or until crispy and lightly browned. Remove with a spider skimmer or large slotted spoon to the paper towel-lined plate and season with salt on both sides. To keep them warm while cooking the eggs, you can put them on a small baking sheet in a 200°F/95°C oven briefly until ready to assemble.
  • Poach the eggs. Set another paper towel-lined plate next to the stove. Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer and add the vinegar. Crack the eggs individually into small bowls, cups, or ramekins. Use a slotted spoon to stir the water clockwise to create a whirlpool effect and gently but quickly add each of the eggs into the center of the whirlpool one at a time (lower the bowls or cups right down to the water and tip each egg in).
  • Let the eggs cook for about 3 to 5 minutes or to your desired doneness. (I prefer a 4 minute poached egg which yields a fully cooked white with a still-runny yolk). Transfer using the slotted spoon to the paper towel-lined plate to lightly drain. You can easily reheat the eggs right before serving by placing them back into simmering water to heat through.
  • Make the creamed spinach. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until reduced by half. This could take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, give or take, depending on the pan size, pot material, gas vs electric stove, etc. Stir in the parmesan and garlic, and set aside in a warm place, but off direct heat.
  • Set a paper towel-lined plate next to the stove. Heat the butter in a skillet until foaming, then add the spinach. Stir constantly until the spinach has just wilted, about 4 minutes.
  • Transfer the spinach to the paper towel-lined plate to remove excess moisture from the spinach. Squeeze as much of the liquid out of the spinach as you can, discarding the liquid.
  • Transfer the spinach to the parmesan cream, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Keep warm until ready to serve. If you make this too far in advance, the sauce can get watery from the spinach continuing to release its juices while it sits.
  • Assemble Eggs Sardou. Place ½ the creamed spinach in the center of 2 plates creating an oval or oblong shape. Place 2 fried artichoke bottoms on top of the spinach, side by side, with the cup-side facing up. Arrange a poached egg on top of each artichoke, and finally spoon some sauce Choron over the top of each egg. Garnish with paprika and/or chervil, parsley, or chives and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Adapted from Bennan’s New Orleans
  • Artichoke Bottoms:
    • Trader Joe’s sells frozen artichoke bottoms occasionally/seasonally. I was lucky enough to grab a few bags, but there are other brands you may be able to find.
    • Frozen are preferential to using the canned variety, which will add more of a briny flavor, but you can still use canned artichoke bottoms in a pinch.
    • Note that the recipe calls for artichoke bottoms and not artichoke hearts. The bottoms act as a sort of cup to hold the poached eggs. That said, the flavor between the two is identical. If you can’t find the bottoms, use halved or quartered artichoke hearts to create a bed. In that case, you may want to skip the breading and frying step as it won’t yield the same results with a more complicated breading surface.
  • Clarified butter is preferable for making a stable and thick sauce. That said, you can make the sauce with regular melted butter but it’s more likely to split. Here’s a good trick for quick clarified butter:
    • Melt the butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave in short intervals (it can splatter if you do it for too long) until it’s all melted, but don’t stir.
    • Let it sit for a several minutes to let the water and milk solids sink to the bottom naturally.
    • If there is any foam on the surface, gently skim it off with a small spoon.
      The pure fat should rise to the top with a bit of whitish watery liquid at the bottom of the measuring cup.
    • Drizzle the melted butter as you whisk the sauce, but when you see you are getting to the bottom with the water/milk solids slowly back off.
    • You can add a bit more fat here and there but just avoid adding much of the whitish liquid at the bottom.
  • Make ahead tips:
    • Bread the artichoke bottoms and refrigerate them for several hours before frying them.
    • Keep fried artichoke bottoms warm in a 200°F/95°C oven while preparing other components.
    • Keep the prepared sauce choron warm over a double boiler for about an hour, stirring it gently periodically. Cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap to keep it warm, but keep the heat turned off. You can occasionally turn it back on just to keep the bowl from getting cold. If it thickens too much from sitting, whisk in a little hot water. You could also keep it warm in a preheated wide mouth thermos (fill the thermos with boiling water first, then empty it out before adding the sauce to keep warm).
    • Poach the eggs up to several days in advance and transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water. Store them completely covered with cold water in a sealed container in the fridge. Then when ready to serve, heat them back up by adding them to simmering water for a minute or two or until heated through.
    • Cook the components for the creamed spinach in advance. Gently reheat them before serving, draining/squeezing the spinach again if needed. Combine them before plating.

Nutrition

Calories: 855kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 71g | Saturated Fat: 36g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 342mg | Sodium: 846mg | Potassium: 843mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g