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1. In a heavy 1- to 2-quart saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, add the flour and mix well.
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2. Stirring constantly with a wire whisk, pour in the milk in a slow, thin stream and cook over high heat until the sauce comes to a boil, thickens lightly and is smooth.
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3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes to remove any raw taste of the flour. Then stir in the spinach, ½ teaspoon of the salt and the white pepper. Taste for seasoning, remove the pan from the heat and cover tightly.
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4. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet. Add the artichoke bottoms, concave side down, and baste them with the hot butter.
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5. Sprinkle them with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, reduce the heat to the lowest possible point, cover tightly and cook for several minutes until the artichoke bottoms are heated through. Do not let them brown. Remove the skillet from the heat and cover tightly to keep the artichoke bottoms warm.
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6. To poach the eggs, pour cold water into a 12-inch skillet to a depth of about 2 inches. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat so that the surface of the liquid barely shimmers.
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7. Break the eggs into individual saucers. Gently slide one of the eggs from its saucer into the water, and with a large spoon, lift the white over the yolk. Repeat once or twice more to enclose the yolk completely in the white.
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8. One at a time, slide the seven other eggs into the pan, enclosing them in their whites and spacing them about an inch apart. Poach the eggs for 3 or 4 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks feel soft when prodded gently.
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9. With a slotted spatula, transfer the poached eggs to a large bowl half-filled with lukewarm water and set them aside while you prepare the hollandaise sauce.
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10. Before assembling the eggs Sardou, transfer the poached eggs to a linen towel with a slotted spatula to drain briefly. If the creamed spinach and artichoke bottoms have cooled, warm them over low heat.
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11. Spread the creamed spinach smoothly on a heated serving platter to make a bed about ¼ inch deep. Arrange the artichoke bottoms, concave sides up, on the spinach and place an egg in each one. Spoon the hollandaise sauce over the eggs and serve at once.
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