Baked Eggs Napoleon Spinach Pastry (Printable Version)

Crisp pastry layers with spinach, ham, baked eggs, and creamy hollandaise sauce

# What You Need:

→ Puff Pastry Base

01 - 1 sheet puff pastry (approximately 9 ounces), thawed

→ Spinach Filling

02 - 2 teaspoons olive oil
03 - 7 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped
04 - 1 small shallot, finely diced
05 - 1 garlic clove, minced
06 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
07 - Pinch of nutmeg

→ Assembly Components

08 - 4 large eggs
09 - 4 slices smoked ham or prosciutto
10 - 2 tablespoons grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese

→ Hollandaise Sauce

11 - 2 large egg yolks
12 - 3.5 ounces unsalted butter, melted
13 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
14 - Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut puff pastry into 8 squares (approximately 3x3 inches). Arrange on prepared sheet, prick each with fork. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden and puffed. Cool slightly.
02 - Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallot and garlic 2 minutes until fragrant. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat.
03 - Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Place 4 pastry squares in baking dish. Top each with ham slice, spoonful of spinach mixture, and Gruyère sprinkle. Cover with remaining pastry squares to form stacks.
04 - Create indentation in top of each stack using spoon back. Crack egg into each indentation. Bake 10-12 minutes until whites are set but yolks remain runny.
05 - Whisk egg yolks and lemon juice in heatproof bowl over simmering water. Slowly drizzle melted butter while whisking constantly until thickened. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.
06 - Drizzle hollandaise sauce over each Napoleon. Serve immediately while eggs are warm and pastry remains crisp.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The puff pastry creates these impossibly flaky layers that make everyone think you spent hours when really most of it happened in the oven
  • Something magical happens when that runny yolk mixes into the spinach and cream sauce
  • You get all the fancy brunch vibes without standing over a stove panicking like you would with traditional eggs Benedict
02 -
  • If your hollandaise starts to look grainy or curdle, immediately whisk in a teaspoon of cold water or drop in an ice cube while whisking furiously
  • The egg indentation needs to be deep enough to hold the white but not so deep that it punctures through to the filling below
  • Room temperature ingredients prevent hollandaise disaster but do not let the eggs sit out longer than thirty minutes
03 -
  • Use a sharp knife to cut puff pastry. Dull edges squish the layers and you lose those beautiful flaky pockets
  • If your eggs are too large, some white might overflow. Jumbo eggs are not your friend here

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