Cheddar and Mushroom Shirred Eggs

Cheddar and Mushroom Shirred Eggs

The Indian-style baked eggs Florentine that I made the other week were not only a tremendous success on the breakfast table but were an apparently very popular recipe with my readers as well. So I couldn't resist revisiting the idea this week, but replacing the creamed spinach with what is probably my favorite all-purpose ingredient — mushrooms. Without spinach, of course, they're no longer eggs Florentine and since I can't come up with a fancy name for cooked eggs on top of mushrooms I'm just calling them cheddar and mushroom shirred eggs. Whatever they're called, they're just as good as the eggs Florentine.

Again, you will need eight 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups, or you can use four larger gratin dishes and divide the same ingredients four ways instead of eight. And as with the eggs Florentine, these are best served right away but they are very hot at first!

On the subject of mushrooms, there is still time to submit a mushroom dish for April's edition of No Croutons Required. Make a soup or a salad, or something in between featuring mushrooms before the 20th of this month. For a recap of the submission details, go here.

Cheddar and Mushroom Shirred Eggs

Cheddar and Mushroom Shirred EggsCheddar and Mushroom Shirred Eggs
Recipe by
Published on April 13, 2008

Seasoned and sautéed fresh mushrooms baked with eggs and topped with sharp old Cheddar — a fantastic breakfast or appetizer

Print this recipePrint this recipe

Ingredients:
  • butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 oz (225 g) fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 2 green onions, both white and green parts, chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon hot paprika
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 8 large eggs
  • sea salt
  • 1/4 lb (115 g) sharp old Cheddar, thinly sliced
  • bread crumbs
  • hot paprika for garnish
Instructions:
  • Lightly grease 8 ramekins or custard cups with butter and preheat the oven to 350°. Place the ramekins on a baking tray.

  • Heat a medium saucepan or wok over high heat. When hot, pour in the olive oil, wait a few seconds, then swirl around to coat the pan. Add the mushrooms, onion, and the white parts of the green onions and fry, stirring continually, for 6 to 8 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned. Remove from heat and stir in the green parts of the green onions, the paprika, and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

  • Divide the mushrooms between the eight ramekins, a generous soup spoon full for each. Break an egg into a saucer or cup, and slide the egg into a prepared cup. Repeat with each of the remaining eggs, putting one egg into each ramekin. Sprinkle each cup with a little salt and slide the baking tray into the oven. Bake for 12 minutes.

  • Remove the tray from the oven and carefully lay slices of the cheddar cheese on top of each egg. Sprinkle the tops with a some bread crumbs and a pinch of hot paprika, and return the tray to the oven. Bake for 5 minutes longer, until the egg whites are set, and up to 10 minutes if you prefer the yolks to be set as well. The cheese should be bubbling, and the bread crumbs browned.

  • Very carefully transfer the ramekins to a plate and serve with a fork or spoon

Makes 8 servings
Cheddar and Mushroom Shirred Eggs

12 comments:

Peter M said...

What a wonderful 1st course to serve...freak out your guests and tell them it's creme brulee!

Sara said...

Those are really beautiful. They sound great and my husband would love this. Thanks for sharing with us.

Anonymous said...

omg! this look so stunning and delicious!

sunita said...

Lisa, this looks beautiful, I'm sure we'll love them...thanks :-)

Susan said...

One of the simplest, yet most elegant recipes you could make. Mushrooms take it over the top. Just lovely.

Anonymous said...

Is the yolk going to be runny? Or will it be really cooked as with a hard boiled egg?

Neen said...

In case you were wondering, no I haven't tried your eggs florentine yet and yes, I still longing for them. This post is only increasing the odds that I throw the whole weekly menu planning thing into the wind and jump on the shirred egg bandwagon. They look soooo gooood.

Laurie Constantino said...

Lisa, these look absolutely gorgeous, as do your corn cakes with honey and blue cheese, something I'm definitely making for myself when my husband, aka the corn hater, is out of town.

Lisa Turner said...

Anon;

Regarding the yolk, it's not runny at all. Perhaps not as firm as a hard boiled egg, but cooked all the same.

test it comm said...

That looks like a great way to enjoy mushrooms!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the yolk clarification. I want to make these for a girl's brunch, but most of us have 'yolk issues,' so I wanted to confirm. Thanks for the great site and recipes!

Sarah said...

Thanks Lisa for participating in our latest Blog Hop! Remember, voting starts Monday at midnight, CST. So spread the word! ;) http://bit.ly/yH4w70

Sarah @ RecipeLion