Shirred Eggs: Easy Yet Elegant
If you haven't tried shirred eggs, it's time to test it out. You will need to experiment with them to get the timing right, since ovens vary and the outcome can be different varying between a few minutes. But once you master it, it will easily be one of your go-to egg dishes for lazy weekends, or for company!
The word "shirred" comes from the name of the dish that made these eggs popular: a shirrer, which is basically a flat dish. I use a gratin dish, but you can also use a ramekin.
The basic recipe is simple: Butter the dish, add eggs, some cream, seasonings, and bake at 375 for 12 minutes. That's it. Easy-peasy. The cream mixes with the whites of the eggs to make a custard-y consistency, and the yolks can be anywhere from runny to jammy to cooked through, depending on how you like them.
Once you get the basics, then you can experiment! Try adding different cheeses; hot sauce; scoop out the eggs and put on an avocado; add fresh herbs. Be creative! Give it a try and let me know what you think. Better yet, let me know what variations you have come up with!
- Annabelle
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