Shirred Eggs (Baked Eggs)
Christmas break just ended, my chicklets were home from college and we cooked together often. Kids coming, kids going, kids messing up every room in the house! Dishes in the sink constantly! The other day, there were 9 or 10 cups in the sink and only 3 of us in the house! If anyone has suggestions for how to make kids use one cup all day, I’d love to hear it! We buy those giant boxes of styrofoam cups at Sam’s but still…a sink full of cups! Grrr!
Anyway, Ms. Kayla wanted to make Shirred Eggs this morning so we broke out all the high fat content foods in our house and got started. Kayla likes to cook, but sometimes she doesn’t hang around for all of the work because she gets easily distracted by her guitar, the dogs, or her cell phone. But today she actually STUCK around! So I took advantage of time in the kitchen with her. Love my kitchen time with my favorite redhead!
Shirted eggs, or baked eggs, are originally of French origin, and may also be referred to as “oeufs en cocotte”.The “shirred egg” name comes from the flat bottomed baking dish they were made in originally. The English adaptation, used milk or cream and add cheese as well, whereas the French typically use a pat of butter.
This recipe came courtesy of a bed and breakfast we visited a long time ago, where we helped bail out the owners who were also hosting a wedding at their place as well. We gave a hand in the kitchen and in return they gave us this recipe. They have long since closed up shop, but this recipe remains one of our favorites!
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. You will need some ramekins (small dishes that are oven safe) or you can actually do a big pan of these also. Ramekins are really fun tho! I think ours are 6 oz. ramekins.
Spray the ramekin with cooking spray. To begin, grate a block of swiss cheese. If you have extra, just pop it into a freezer bag and save it for next time.
Take your ramekin and add 1/3 cup of the shredded swiss cheese to the bottom of the bowl.
Cube up some ham or canadian bacon and add it to the cheese. Again, about 1/3 cup.
You can also use bacon. We tried that once when we were out of ham and it was great! ”Fluff” the two together so they’re evenly distributed. With your fingers make a well (an indention) in the center of this mixture and crack one or two eggs into the hollowed out well. Big guys sometimes like bigger portions, ya know.
If you have a picky eater who doesn’t like whole egg yolks like we do, you can also scramble the eggs first before you pour them in.
Now, this is important. You must use the heavy whipping cream in this dish or it just won’t be right!
Repeat after me. ”I must use the heavy whipping cream. I can run 5 miles later to wear it off. ”
Gently pour the 1/3-1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream over the egg/cheese/ham mixture until it just covers all.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
And also sprinkle the top with some parmesan cheese.This will give it a nice brown crust over the top.
Place them all on a cookie sheet and pop the into the oven. Bake these at 350º for 20-25 minutes. If you get them just right, the yolks are still a little runny. Remove and let cool for a few minutes and then dig in. Sprinkle some chopped chives or parsley over the top for some color and punch. Try experimenting with your favorite herbs as well like fresh chopped thyme, rosemary or basil. It’s delicious!!
We like to serve these up with some fresh fruit to cut the richness of the creamy eggs. My mom always serves it with split english muffins, toasted, rubbed with butter and sprinkled with powdered sugar and a little cinnamon.
Try these shirred eggs some morning for a special breakfast. They’re creamy and rich and cheesy and wonderful. They’d also make a special breakfast for company staying over and make a pretty presentation.
What a way to wake up in the morning!
- 1⅓ c. Swiss cheese, shredded
- 1⅓ c. Chopped Canadian bacon, ham, or bacon
- 1⅓-1½ c. heavy whipping cream
- 4 T grated parmesan cheese
- ½ t. salt
- ¼ t. pepper
- Preheat oven to 375º.
- Spray ramekins with cooking spray.
- Shred swiss cheese and place ⅓ c. in ramekin.
- Cube up canadian bacon, ham or bacon and place in dish.
- Mix together evenly and make a well in center of each bowl.
- Crack egg(s) into well or scramble and pour into well.
- Pour cream gently over top of all.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until whites are set but yolk is still soft.
- Optional, can scramble egg(s) for those who don't like yolks and pour in center of well.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
Want to try some owner comfort food breakfast recipes? I am participating in Food network’s Lets pull Up A Chair: Comfort Food Fest each Thursday over the next few months. Look what these other fabulous food bloggers made!
Big Girls, Small Kitchen:
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Gluten-Free Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins
Feed Me Phoebe: Amaranth Breakfast Porridge with Blueberry Compote
Weelicious: Crispy Orange Stuffed French Toast Sticks
Devour: Bobby’s Breakfast for Dinner Recipes
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Egg Bruschetta with Pesto
Red or Green: Huevos Rancheros
Dishing With Divya: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Sweet Toast
Virtually Homemade: Crescent Dough Breakfast Skillet
Taste With The Eyes: Kimchi & Cheddar Omelette
Blue Apron Blog:
Dishin & Dishes: Shirred Eggs (Baked Eggs)
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Peasant Omelette
Domesticate Me: “Shakshuka” Egg White Frittata with Turkey Sausage
The Sensitive Epicure: “Egg In The Hole” with Sauteed Spinach
The Heritage Cook: Southwest Breakfast Hash
FN Dish: Wake Up to Breakfast
15 Comments
Sharon
July 16, 2010 at 4:47 pm
dishinanddishes
July 17, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Vivette
July 16, 2010 at 5:10 pm
dishinanddishes
July 17, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Sharon
July 18, 2010 at 11:40 am
dishinanddishes
July 18, 2010 at 12:43 pm
nanny
July 16, 2010 at 11:23 pm
Sharon
July 25, 2010 at 11:33 am
dishinanddishes
July 25, 2010 at 11:38 am
Sharon
August 16, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Tracy Anderson
June 1, 2011 at 8:55 am
Jane, The Heritage Cook
January 24, 2014 at 3:48 pm
Katie
January 25, 2014 at 9:26 am
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