baked eggs

It was a good morning. We all slept until 8am. That's 8 o'clock, people! Pretty darn great considering we have a babe in the next room that usually wakes us up by 6:30am. We were so happy, we made baked eggs.

(Oh how I wish I had natural light in my kitchen!)

This recipe calls for a few different herbs, but feel free to use what fresh herbs you have on hand. I tend to make this in the summertime when I have a variety of herbs growing, but it's equally good in the winter when I may only have one herb at the ready.

This morning I used fresh parsley and a pinch of dried thyme, but I've also made it with dill and parsley, and it's really good with just tarragon. (But we already knew that eggs and tarragon go really well together.)

baked eggs

inspired by Ina Garten's herbed baked eggs - Barefoot in Paris

serves 4

1/2 teas minced fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teas minced fresh rosemary leaves

2 Tbs minced fresh parsley

2 Tbs freshly grated parmesan cheese

8 large eggs

1/4 c cream or milk (not skim though, fat content is important)

2 Tbs unsalted butter

salt and pepper

toasted french bread, brioche, or just plain whole wheat

Preheat broiler for about 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6-10" below the element.

Combine the fresh herbs and cheese. Set aside. Carefully crack 2 eggs into each of 4 small bowls. (You won't be baking in these -- you just need to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)

Put four individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet and put 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish. Place under the broiler for just a few minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Quickly and carefully, pour 2 eggs into each gratin dish and then sprinkle evenly with the herb-cheese mixture. Season each with salt and pepper and then place back under the broiler for 5-7 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are just cooked. Remove from oven and allow to set for another minute or two. The eggs will continue to cook but the yolks will stay nice n' runny for dipping your toast.