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let's dig in!
I'll be the first to admit that I don't do much cooking.  Yes, I went to culinary school, but I really only went for the baking; the hot food side of it was interesting and fun, but that's not where my heart lies.  I like to cook "occasion" meals, like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but I find trying to figure out what my family wants for dinner each and every night to be a huge challenge.  That's The Chef's job when he's home!  Since my kids have this crazy need to eat and insist on dinner every night I do have to make something, however, I tend towards a lot of "breakfast for dinner" type meals.

We have kind of a crazy schedule once evening hits.  M1 (the oldest kid) has swim practice every night and we have to drop him off at the pool.  The Chef is usually at work, so I come back home with M2 and M3 (the middle and the youngest).  I've got two and a half hours to get dinner together, eat, get M2 showered and then both kids into their jammies.  Then we load back into the car to pick M1 up from practice.  Occasionally I'll forget to think of something for dinner.  (Okay, that's a total lie, I pretty much never think about dinner until it's almost time to eat).

Times like those require me to think quickly and throw together something that can be whipped-up and cook un-monitored so I can help M2 with her shower.  So the other night we surprisingly found ourselves in that very position.  I took a quick look in the refrigerator and pulled out the eggs, whipping cream, ham, cheese, and a few other things and put together shirred eggs to bake in the oven while she showered.  ("Shirred eggs" sounds so fancy, but really it just means "baked egg", but I like to show off my culinary school education.)

By the time M2's shower was done and the little kids were both in their jammies the eggs were finished cooking and we ate and left to pick M1 up.  Mission accomplished!

Now, for the rest of you "normal" folks out there that would never in a million years serve this for dinner, it makes a fabulous breakfast, particularly for a special occasion, like Mother's Day, or Easter.

These are very versatile, and you can put pretty much anything you want in the dish.  You can also go as simple as just butter and eggs.  They're so quick and easy you'll find lots of variations in no time!  Enjoy with a fresh croissant and top the baked eggs with something decadent like caviar and sip a mimosa and it's a party!  (We just ate some toasted wheat bread, but it was still a party!)

-The Baker



SHIRRED EGGS


  • 1 T Butter
  • 1 clove Roasted garlic (optional)
  • 2 slices Ham, thinly sliced
  • 1 slice Cheese (use any that you like)
  • 3 Eggs, whole
  • 1 T Whipping cream
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 1 T Parmesan cheese, grated

  1. Butter the inside of the ramekin
  2. If using, smear roasted garlic into ramekin
  3. Lay the slices of ham into the bottom
  4. Put the slice of cheese on top of the ham
  5. Crack the eggs on the ham
  6. Pour the whipping cream over the eggs
  7. Season with salt and pepper
  8. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top
  9. Bake at 350 F for approximately 15 minutes, however, the length of time will depend on how cooked you like your eggs, so start checking them at about 10 minutes
  10. You can top the finished eggs (with salsa or sour cream, for example)
  11. Serve with toast