I always wanted to make these because they just sound so good, but I haven't done it until now. They are very easy and absolutely delicious. I wasn't sure how to make them so I checked The Joy of Cooking. Remarkably, there was no recipe. I think the earlier edition must have had one. (This would be the same edition that tells you how to skin and cook a squirrel). Anyway, then I checked Christopher Kimball's, The Cook's Bible, and he had a recipe but he strongly recommended cooking the eggs in a water bath for 40 minutes. I was too impatient so I went to the internet. I checked out one of my favorite online references, myrecipes.com. This site searches the recipes from Cooking Light, Southern Living, Sunset, Coastal Living, All You, Real Simple, and Health and rates them.
I found a recipe for shirred eggs that looked pretty straightforward, so I went with it. First you coat a 6 oz. ramekin with butter, add cream (I used light cream instead of heavy cream), 2 eggs, salt, pepper, chives, and top with grated hard cheese. I used Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes then let set for 2 or 3 more. While the eggs were baking, I wondered if Julia Child had a shirred egg recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Yes she did! But wait, what? "Shirred eggs should never be attempted in oven, as it toughens them." Drat. Too late. I'll try her method next time.
The eggs were delicious! They were a cross between an egg dish and a custard, rich, but not over-the-top. Paired with buttered toast and a glass of white wine, a perfect Sunday brunch!
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