Shirred Eggs

So, we like eggs. A lot. Perhaps too much. Don't judge us! The fact that eggs have their own carrying case never ceases to amaze. All hail the amniotic ovum!

In a seemingly never-ending quest to cook eggs in different ways, Jim came across a recipe for "Shirred Eggs" while looking for the "Sherried Eggs" that we cooked last week. The idea is to coddle the eggs in butter and cream and probably brown the cheese a bit.

Unfortunately, Jim put three eggs in each ramekin along with three tbsp of cream (so slutty!) and the timing was all messed up. We upped the time in the oven which was probably necessary, but they went from looking not at all done and totally jiggly to overdone with none of the runny yolk that the NYT Simple Crusty Bread Recipe (posted bleow because the link requires login) could sop up. We will fix the cooking times, add more cheese and hit it with the broiler and then revisit this recipe.

Simple Crusty Bread Recipe

Adapted from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)

Time: About 45 minutes plus about 3 hours’ resting and rising

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough

Cornmeal.


1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.

4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Yield: 4 loaves.

Variation: If not using stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Place pan on middle rack.