Baked Eggs

What are you doing this Saturday?

Cancel your plans.  Call your friends.  You're making brunch, more specifically, you're making this dish.  Your friends will think Julia Child visited you in your sleep and taught you how to really cook.

Only you will know that this might be the easiest thing you've popped in the oven.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Baked Eggs in a Spinach Mushroom Nest
Adapted from Gourmet, 2004 via Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients

10 oz baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (2 cups)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 extra large eggs
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan

Tools

4 ramekins

Step by Step

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

Bring 1/2 inch water to a boil in a heavy skillet, then add half of spinach and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted, about 30 seconds. 

Add remaining spinach and wilt in same manner, then cook, covered, over moderately high heat until spinach is tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Gently squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then coarsely chop.

Wipe skillet dry, then cook onion and garlic in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and increase heat to moderate, then cook, stirring, until mushrooms are softened and have exuded liquid, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chopped spinach and bring to a simmer.

Remove skillet from heat.  Divide spinach mixture evenly amongst four ramekins.  Using the back of a spoon, create a circle indention in the middle of each dish.  Break an egg into each ramekin and bake, uncovered, until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny,  about 10 minutes. Lightly season eggs with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with cheese.

MAKE AHEAD:  You can prep the spinach mushroom nests the night before.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, crack the eggs in each dish and bake.  Bake an extra minute or two until egg whites are set.  

This is a new favorite for me because I don't like egg yolk (I just came around to eating egg whites a few years ago) and I can make everyone's portion according to the way they like it.