Ever heard of shirred eggs? I first learned about them from The Commonsense Kitchen, a cookbook by our good friend Tom Hudgens.
More specifically, my husband, who was once Tom’s student over at Deep Springs College, was the one who introduced us to this recipe, as it is he who cooks breakfast around here every morning.
I know.
I love shirred eggs, which are oven-poached in muffin tins in a generous splash of heavy cream, and I love that they are both festive and completely fool-proof to prepare, requiring no boiling cauldron or dedicated vessel.
Here, let me show you:
All you gotta do is preheat your oven to 325 degrees Farenheit and coat a few muffin-tin cavities with non-stick spray (if you are crunchy, brush them with melted butter instead).
I am not crunchy.
I choose non-stick spray.
Go Pam!
Sure, it might not be great for you in the long run.
Also, a fireball could strike your house at any time.
I’ve made my peace with these facts!
It’s OK if you disapprove.
Next, splash about two tablespoons of heavy cream into each greased cup.
Break an egg into each cup and sprinkle it with salt and pepper (which I forgot to do with this particular batch).
Now stick them into the preheated oven for 8-15 minutes, or until the top is somewhat set (if you like runnier yolks, you can pull them out a tad sooner).
Slide a knife around each egg and use a tablespoon to remove them from the pan.
They are a dream, really. Serve them with bread and butter, or, if you feel inspired, with some of this delicious blender Hollandaise sauce.
Here’s your printable recipe:
Shirred Eggs
Adapted from The Commonsense Kitchen: 500 Recipes + Lessons for a Hand-Crafted Life
- eggs
- 2 tablespoons of heavy cream per each egg
- salt and pepper, to taste
- melted butter or non-stick spray, for greasing the muffin tins
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Farenheit. Coat muffin-tin cups with melted butter or non-stick spray. Pour the cream into each cup and break the eggs right in, one egg per cup. Bake until the eggs are set, between 8 and 14 minutes.
To remove, slide a knife around each egg and use a spoon to take it out. Serve with buttered toast or Hollandaise sauce.
