This is what I've been making for lunch (and a lazy dinner) this week: baked eggs. Totally delicious, cheap, and my little meal takes advantage of fresh eggs from the farmer's market. Eggs are in season, you know. (Note: the two Le Creuset mini cocottes shown are both for me — Dan tried it out and said he likes his eggs fried. I'm not offended, really.)
The big lesson learned: Molly is so right when she suggests in A Homemade Life that everyone should pick up a $5 oven thermometer. Clearly my oven is not calibrated. The recipe calls for baking 24 - 28 minutes at 350 degrees, which turned into a lesson in stalking my oven. First time I made the recipe, the yolks came out hard after 23 minutes. So I watched my next batch like a hawk to get eggs cooked, yolks runny. Let's just say I'm a distracted stalker, so I'm picking up an oven thermometer this weekend.
See below the fold for the recipe. I like to dunk warm bread in my baked eggs.
recipe adapted from the current Martha Stewart Everyday Food (April 2009)
baked eggs in parmesan sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I just used my garlic press)
1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
2 cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (I doubled the amount of cheese from Martha's recipe — we like our Parmesan in this house.)
coarse salt and ground pepper
8 large eggs
*fresh basil — I wanted a little more flavor and I had fresh basil in the kitchen.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set ovenproof bowls or ramekins on a large rimmed baking sheet.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add garlic and rosemary; cook, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes (with juice), crushed tomatoes, and 1/4 cup Parmesan; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 2 to 4 minutes. Season tomato sauce with salt and pepper.
3. Divide tomato sauce among bowls, reserving a cup. Crack an egg (or two, depending on size of your bowl) into each bowl. Dividing evenly, top with reserved sauce and Parmesan. Bake until eggs whites are just opaque (yolks should still be soft), 24 to 28 minutes, or whatever your oven's magic number is. Rotate the sheet halfway through.
*optional: top your eggs with fresh basil
