Day 18 - Baked Eggs

Baked Eggs, Dijon Asparagus, Pumpernickel Flat Bread, Goat Chevre, Strawberries

If you've never tried baked eggs, you really should!  They're a fairly common dish in France, and they are extremely easy to prepare.  Traditionally they're cooked in ramekins with cream, but I've discovered that you can also bake them in muffin tins for more portable servings.  Culinary apostasy, I know, but it works. :)

You can't tell from the pictures, but these are taken straight out of the muffin tin.  If your muffin tin is non-stick, like mine, then it works well.  If not, I'd recommend baking them in silicone baking cups. Either way, the edges get all crispy and delicious!

The most difficult part is decided how long to cook them - average cooking time at 350F is 10-20 minutes.  Yes, I know that's a really big time difference for something as delicate as eggs.  Here's why:

10 minutes means the yolks will still be runny.  Delicious hot, but that makes even me nervous for transporting in a cooler over long periods of time.

15 minutes will give you yolks that are the consistency of medium boiled.  This is how I like them.

20 minutes will give you eggs with a hard boiled consistency, if you're really worried bacteria, etc.

There you have it.

I paired it with some leftover Dijon Asparagus, pumpernickel flat bread crackers, chevre, and strawberries.

Hint:  If you spread the chevre on the crackers and then top it off with a strawberry slice, your mouth will be very happy with you.  Trust me!

Of course, the chevre is also really nice on the eggs, too. :)


Muffin Tin Baked Eggs

2 eggs
1 teaspoon sea salt
cooking spray

Spray a non-stick muffin tin with cooking spray.  Break each egg into a separate muffin  compartment without breaking the yolks.  Sprinkle salt over eggs, as well as any other desired spices.  Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, until whites are set and yolk is to your liking.  When eggs are done, gently run the tip of a knife around each egg, making sure it is seperated from the muffin tin.  Even more gently spoon the egg onto an appropriate serving dish.

These are fabulous hot.  They are...good...cold.  I might try them in a sandwich next time!