Shirred Eggs With Swiss Cheese

Well, fiends and neighbors, it’s Monday again.  Whoopee.

I’m just overwhelmed with excitement – can’t you tell?

I had an interesting and fun weekend, which was full of Baking Fail, but more about that another day (my weekend involved someone else who will be blogging about it some time this week, so I’ll let her tell about it first).  But on to the recipe.

I really didn’t cook at all last week, which is why there were no recipes – Beloved smoked a pork shoulder roast and a turkey breast last Saturday and we ate them literally all week long.  For lunch and dinner.

They were tasty, but I’m a bit tired of pulled pork and turkey.

So, when I got up Sunday morning I was all “I NEED TO COOK SOMETHING!!”  And since we have been eating eggs just about every morning for breakfast, I decided to do something a little different.

Shirred eggs are baked in the oven in individual dishes, usually a ramekin, until the whites are set, but the yolks are still soft – if you like your eggs over easy, you should love these.  As for the method of preparation, I have one word:  EASY.  They’re also versatile – you can add any number of things to the dish you cook them in – tomato, salsa, chopped bacon or ham, or even toasted rounds of bread.  You can, of course, leave the cheese off, or substitute another kind if you wish.

Note: Don’t worry if the eggs seem a bit underdone when you remove them from the oven – the heat of the dish they are in will continue to cook them until they are served.

Shirred Eggs with Swiss Cheese

Shirred Eggs with Swiss Cheese

serves 4

Butter

8 eggs

8 tablespoons heavy cream

salt and pepper

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Simmering water

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Butter 4 individual dishes – I used 8 oz. ramekins.  Break 2 eggs into each dish; drizzle 2 tablespoons of cream over the eggs in each dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the dishes in a larger baking dish that will hold them without crowding and pour the simmering water around, not over, the ramekins.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes; sprinkle the cheese over each egg just a minute or two before done.  Allow to rest for a minute or two before serving.

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