Baked Eggs in Ramekins

This weekend, after sleeping in a bit and hoping to have a relaxed day, I started making Baked Eggs in Ramekins. I've not made them before, but walked into the library, grabbed Mastering the Art of French Cooking and seemed to know exactly where I was going. It was a little surreal, honestly. Back to the kitchen where I started gathering my supplies. And I was off.

You need a pan that can hold boiling water and you need oven safe dishes for the eggs. Ramekins are small, oven safe, ceramic bowls. Some are made of glass. So the bowls don't slid around, I put a sheet of paper towel in the bottom. Once the water is in place, all is good.


Here's one way I messed up the recipe. You are supposed to bring the water to a boil, get the ramekins nice and hot, add the cream. When the cream is warm, you add the eggs. I didn't boil the water, in the pan. I boiled it in a teapot, then poured it in the pan. It mostly worked, but not exactly. But regardless, you put a smidge of cream in the bottom of the ramekin. I added a pinch of shredded cheddar cheese and freshly chopped parsley.

I did two eggs per ramekin. I cracked them into a separate bowl first, then added them to the ramekins.

Before baking, add a final smidge of cream and a little butter on top. Bake until the eggs set. They will finish cooking a bit at the end after you take them out of the oven.

Eggs baked in ramekins with buttered toast.

These eggs are decadent. Even though I over cooked my eggs by a few minutes (they didn't seem done after the recommended time-because I wasn't boiling the ramekins!), regardless, they were delicious. The cream and butter, plus the pinch of cheese, all played nicely with the eggs. I will make these again! They are simple and full of countless options. Wanna add some chopped veggies? Do it! Spinach. It would work. Cut back on the cream and butter? Maybe a little bit, but not too much; the cream helps to protect the eggs from too much heat, too fast, which would make a tough egg. The butter you can cut back on, but the flavor is very nice. Add a dash of hot sauce. Just about anything you would do with eggs, you can do here!


The following is my version of Julia Child's recipe.

Eggs Baked in Ramekins
Per Person:
2 eggs
2-3 TB heavy cream
1 tsp shredded cheese of your choice
1 tsp chopped parsley or herbs of your choice
1 tsp butter

Preheat oven to 375.

Lightly coat the inside of the ramekin with butter.

Place ramekins in a paper towel lined baking pan and pour boiling water 1/2 way up the sides of the ramekins. Pour 1-2 TB heavy cream in the bottom of the ramekins, add 1/2 the herbs and the cheese. Carefully place the eggs in the ramekins. Pour the final 1 TB of heavy cream, the remaining herbs and butter on top of the eggs.

Bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes until set to desired consistency. Add a pinch of salt and fresh cracked pepper to the eggs. Serve immediately!