When it comes to breakfast, Ilya's and mine first choice is always eggs. Simply boiled – hard-boiled to eat with mayo or soft-boiled to spoon out. Sunny side up or over easy on a bed of slowly sautéed onions. Scrambled with hot peppers and ham. Poached in spicy tomato sauce, Shakshuka style.
Today I'd like to share with you another favorite recipe of ours - baked eggs (sometimes also referred to as shirred eggs). In France, this dish is known as oeuf en cocotte. Everything sounds so much cuter in French, doesn't it?
The concept is pretty simple: you break eggs into ramekins, season with salt and black pepper, pour a bit of cream on top (or go without it) and bake until the desired consistency.
Besides eggs and cream, you can use boiled or roasted potatoes and a variety of other vegetables and mushrooms, cooked or raw. Sautéed chard, kale, dandelions or mustard greens. Fresh or cooked tomatoes. All sorts of cold cut meats - ham, prosciutto, pastrami, baked turkey or chicken. Seafood and, basically, any ingredient to your liking. Before going to the oven, eggs are often sprinkled with grated or crumbled cheese – gruyere, comte, parmesan, goat gouda, feta etc. – but you can do without it as well. And don't forget about fresh herb – you can put them in a filling or sprinkle on top when the eggs are already cooked. However, don't get too greedy and avoid overloading your ramekins to ensure even cooking.
As for baking, you can put ramekins either directly on an oven rack or use a water bath. Water bath renders creamier and softer consistency, while baking on direct heat gives ingredients on the bottom and sides crispier finish. The latter works particularly well when you lay the bottom of a ramekin with a slice of ham or prosciutto.
I recommend using wide and shallow ramekins, especially when using more than 1 egg. This ensures even and fast cooking.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Boil a kettle of water if using water bath. Grease the ramekins with butter or oil. On the bottom arrange filler ingredients. Break the eggs on top, one or two per serving. Cover with 2 tablespoons of cream, season with black pepper and salt, if needed, and generously sprinkle with freshly grated or crumbed cheese. You may want to leave egg yolks uncovered by cheese so it will be easier for you to check the doneness and also will bring a bright color to your dish.
If using direct heat, put ramekins on a baking sheet and place it in the oven. If using water bath, put the ramekins in a deep baking dish and pour hot water around them so it comes up to the middle of their height. Place into the oven and bake about 9-11 min for one egg and 11-14 for two eggs or until the whites get set, but yolks are still runny. Both Ilya and I prefer runny egg yolks, but if you like your yolks harder, cook a bit longer.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and carefully take out the ramekins right away (use sturdy spatula to dish them out and wear oven mitts). If you leave ramekins in hot water, the eggs may become overcooked. Sprinkle some fresh herbs on top and serve.
Shirred eggs come in handy when throwing a brunch party as they are great time and effort savers. And they look quite festive in individual ramekins. I put all the filling ingredients in small bowls on a kitchen counter and let my guests pick their own combination. This makes a party much more fun, especially if you, like me, dislike formal gatherings.
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