Herbed-Baked Eggs

I guess the first thing I need to do is apologize for being so sketchy last week.  I normally do a post every week day, but I last week I only did three.  I was sick on Monday, and then had a gala on Thursday and neglected my Friday post.  Forgive me!!  It usually takes me over an hour to put together these posts, and some days it's just too much to juggle.  But today marks a new day and a new week....so back on track I go!

Today's post features Ina Garten's baked egg cups.  I love eggs and don't really discriminate against any variety of them (scrambled, over easy, in an omelette, etc).   My only gripe is that they can be a bit hard to do if you are whipping up any other part of the meal.  You've got your pancakes going, bacon in the frying pan, and then you've got your eggs you're trying to watch too.  It's just too much sometimes, which can result in me shying away from them.

But these based egg cups give you a chance to put your focus on something else.  I will say that it's tricky to get them cooked just right.  The first time I took them out of the oven I realized that maybe using the broiler wasn't the best idea and decided to go with a straight baking method next time.  For me, the broiler cooked the eggs too much on top and left the bottom of them completely raw.  No good.

The herbs below are just what Ina had listed, but use whatever you have on hand that you're fond of.  I would also suggest making toast on the side for dipping.  These eggs have cooked whites, but running yolks and the toast is a nice vehicle for getting them scooped up :)




Herbed-Baked Egg Cups Adapted from Ina Garten
Printable Version
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
6 eggs
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill small baking pan with warm water to a depth of 1 1/4 inches.

Combine garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley and parmesan.  Set aside.

Make sure your eggs are cracked and ready to go before you need them.  Using 2 small cups, crack all eggs and divide them evenly among the cups (3 in each).

Place 1 Tbsp of cream and 1/2 Tbsp of butter in each of two ramekins.  Place ramekins in oven (but not in water filled baking pan) until butter is melted and mixture is hot and bubbly.

Remove from oven and quickly (but very carefully) place 3 eggs in each ramekin.  Pour slowly or you will break the yolks.  Sprinkle half of the herb/parmesan mixture over the eggs in each ramekin.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Place ramekins in water filled baking pan and place pan in oven.  Bake until egg whites are cooked through, but yolks are still runny, about 25 minutes.

Delish!

Make sure not to bake too long, as the eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven.

*These little guys are tricky to get just right, so don't be frustrated if it takes you more than one try.