sprinklefingers

sprinklefingers confession time:

i have eaten at this restaurant FIVE times in the last FOUR weeks. lunch and dinner. dinner and lunch. jambon sandwiches, duck confit, terrine of pork, bonbons de la maison, champagne - you name it, i’ve eaten it. and then i’ve eaten some more of it.

and the sad part is - i can’t wait to go back. seriously. [further confession time: i organized a ladies lunch-eating club recently and after setting up all the rules and figuring out which restaurants we’d eat at, i then recalled all of that information and suggested that EVERY lunch of the ladies lunch club be eaten at little bird. kind of sick. but kind of awesome! after the members of the club agreed to these terms, we then named ourselves Les Mademoiselles de la Petite Oiseau Tres Chic. every good club has a name. trust me.]

anyways, there’s one item on the dinner menu that i had completely forgotten about in my everyday eating life: creamed spinach. after seeing it on the menu a singular thought popped into my head, “i don’t eat nearly enough creamed spinach. i’m ordering that.” and order it i did. and that’s where the obsession started.

since that dinner, we’ve had creamed spinach at home several times. not because i’m attempting to recreate little bird’s perfect version of it, but because it’s really easy, really delicious and completely versatile. oh, and also because when i become obsessed with something, i really become obsessed with something.

creamed spinach
serves 6

you need:

• 3 T unsalted butter
• 1 T AP flour
• 2/3 cup heavy cream (if heavy cream isn’t your thing you can use whole milk, but NOT reduced fat milk!)
• 1 smallish yellow onion, diced
• 1 lb baby spinach leaves
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• a few dashes of freshly grated nutmeg

make the creamed spinach:

1. melt 2 T of the butter in a pot large enough to accommodate the spinach over medium heat. when the butter is hot, add the onion and cook until golden - approximately 12 minutes.
2. while the onion cooks, make the cream sauce: in a small saucepan, melt the remaining 1 T butter over medium heat. once melted, add the flour and let cook for 2 or 3 minutes, whisking continuously. 
3. slowly add the cream and continue to whisk - breaking up lumps and stirring the edges of the pot well. 
4. when the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and add a sprinkling of salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
5. by now your onion should be golden. if so, add the spinach to the pot and with it add a few ounces of water. stir well and put a lid on the pot.
6. cook the spinach until it is wilted.
7. add the cream sauce to the spinach mixture and stir well.

easy! and delicious!

don’t like onions? (i’m looking at you, A.M.) - you can leave the onion out completely. simply wilt the spinach in a large pot with a bit of water (or steam the spinach if that’s easier for you.) once the spinach is wilted, add the cream sauce.

want to do part of this ahead? if using onions, you certainly can cook them ahead and store them in the fridge until you need them. the cream sauce can also be stored in the fridge for a few days. when you’re ready to make the creamed spinach, simply reheat the onion over medium heat in a large pot. add the spinach and a bit of water, cook til the spinach wilts and then add the cream sauce that you’ve warmed in a separate saucepan.

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i like to serve creamed spinach with fried eggs and a sprinkling of quality parm. it’s so good.
but! you can also add some crunchy breadcrumbs or some crumbled bacon to the top…the crunchy texture of both would compliment the creaminess of the spinach nicely. 

put this recipe on your list of possible side dishes (for brunch, lunch OR dinner) - it goes with just about anything and is a serious snap to make.