Eggs Florentine Gratin & Rice

📝 Ingredients

• 8 eggs (about 60 g each)
• 600 g frozen whole-leaf spinach
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 20 g unsalted butter + 40 g plain flour
• 600 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 80 g grated Emmental
• 280 g long-grain rice
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Saucepan
• Large saucepan
• Large frying pan
• Whisk
• Colander
• Baking dish

📖 Steps

1. Bring a pan of water to the boil, gently lower in the eggs with a spoon and cook for 10 minutes at a gentle boil for properly hard-boiled eggs with fully set yolks.
2. Drain the eggs and plunge them into a bowl of very cold water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking. Peel them starting from the wider end, where the air pocket is, then halve them lengthways.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the rinsed rice and cook uncovered for 11 to 12 minutes, until tender but not sticky. Drain and keep warm, covered.
4. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat with the chopped garlic for 30 seconds, then add the spinach still frozen. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring, until all the released water has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and press the spinach firmly in a sieve.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). For the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, add the flour and whisk for 1 minute without letting it colour. Pour in the cold milk little by little, whisking constantly.
6. Let it thicken for 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat, whisking and scraping the bottom well, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Off the heat, add half the Emmental, the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
7. Spread the spinach in a baking dish, arrange the egg halves on top, yolk side up, coat evenly with the béchamel and sprinkle with the rest of the Emmental. Bake for 15 minutes, until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.
8. Leave to rest for 2 minutes out of the oven, then serve piping hot with the rice, allowing 4 egg halves and a good spoonful of spinach per plate. Drizzle the rice with a little of the gratin sauce.