Eggs are pretty ubiquitous for breakfast and beyond. Surely you’ve had — and probably cooked — them as scrambled eggs, an omelet, and hard-boiled.
But there is myriad other ways to cook and prepare eggs. One you’ve perhaps never heard of are shirred eggs. And even if you have heard of them, you might have thought: “Wow, that sounds super special and difficult to make.” You’re correct about one of those things. Special, yes. Difficult, hardly.
So what are shirred eggs? Shirred eggs are simply baked eggs with a few other ingredients. To make them don’t have to whisk anything, nor do you even need to heat up a pan. If you can crack an egg into a dish, add some milk, cheese, and seasonings, then turn on an oven (even a toaster oven), you can make shirred eggs.
Shirred eggs are actually among the easiest eggs to cook, because there’s barely any cooking involved. Again, the oven does the hard part. The results, however, are glorious. You get delectably creamy, unctuous eggs that are just begging to be devoured with some crispy toast.
Shirred eggs get their name from the type of dish they are traditionally made in, called a shirrer. I don’t have a shirrer, and you probably don’t either. But you know what likely IS in your kitchen? A ramekin or other small baking or gratin dish. I personally use vintage CorningWare for this application, and have several smaller CorningWare skillets that work perfectly.
Here’s how to make some sure-fire shirred eggs!
Easy Shirred Eggs Recipe
INGREDIENTS (makes one serving; double or triple for additional servings)
- Melted butter (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon of whole milk, half-and-half or whipping cream (your choice)
- 1-2 tablespoons your choice of dry/granulated cheese
- Salt and pepper to tastte
- Chives for garnish
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. I actually use a toaster oven for this if only make one or two servings.
Step 2: Grab the dish you will use to cook the eggs in and grease the bottom with the melted butter.
Step 3: Add two cracked eggs to the dish. Then add the milk and the cheese, Drier and/or granulated cheese like that found in a bottle of Parmesan works well for this recipe. Finally season with salt and pepper to your liking.
Step 4: Put the dish in the oven and cook for 15-20 mins or until the eggs are done to your liking. You want the white portion of the eggs to be set and the yolk to still be a bit gooey.
Step 5: When the eggs are done, carefully remove the dish (use oven mitts since it will be hot!) and let sit for a moment. Add the chives on top, then dig in!
Congratulations! You just made a decadent egg dish that’s delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
