Shirred eggs
{{Short description|Egg dish}}
{{Infobox food
| name = baked egg
| image = Oeufs cocotte provencale.jpg
| caption = Shirred eggs ("{{Lang|fr|œufs cocotte à la provençale}}")
| alternate_name = Baked eggs
Œufs cocotte
| course =
| served =
| country = France
| main_ingredient = Eggs
| variations = Eggs {{Lang|fr|en cocotte}}
| calories =
| other =
}}
Shirred eggs, also known as baked eggs, are eggs that have been baked in a flat-bottomed dish; the name originates from the type of dish in which it was traditionally baked. Shirred eggs are considered a simple and reliable dish that can be easily varied and expanded upon. An alternative way of cooking is to crack the eggs into individual ramekins, and cook them in a water bath, creating the French dish {{Lang|fr|œufs en cocotte}}.
Description
Shirred eggs are eggs that have been baked in a gratin dish with a flat bottom. Traditionally, they have been cooked in a dish called a shirrer, from which the dish gets its name,{{cite book|last=Meritt Farmer|first=Fannie|title=Boston Cooking-School Cook Book|year=1896|publisher=Weathervane Books|location=New York|isbn=9780517177402|pages=94|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bat7waDgnVoC&q=%22shirred+eggs%22&pg=PA94}} but the name now applies regardless of the type of dish in which they are baked. They differ from {{Lang|fr|œufs en cocotte}}, which are baked in a ramekin sitting in a bain-marie, or water bath.{{cite book|last=Simmons|first=Marie|title=The Good Egg|year=2000|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Co.|location=Boston|isbn=9780395909911|page=84|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RejeEtdHTr0C&q=%22shirred+eggs%22&pg=PA84}}
They are typically baked simply with butter until the whites have set and the yolks are thickened, and are usually served in the dish in which they were baked.{{cite book|last=Gillette|first=Fanny|author2=Ziemann, Hugo |title=The White House Cookbook|year=1996|publisher=Chronimed Pub.|location=Minneapolis|isbn=9781565610835|pages=181|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X-plkC30Fi0C&q=%22shirred+eggs%22&pg=PA181}}
Variations on the recipe include adding breadcrumbs or cheese to the top of the eggs to create a crust, or garnishing with herbs such as tarragon. Adding a protein such as fish to the dish has also been suggested by chefs to round it out sufficiently to make it suitable as a dinner-time option.{{cite web|last=Graves|first=Helen|title=One-Pot Winter Warmers: Baked eggs with smoked mackerel|url=http://lifestyle.aol.co.uk/2012/02/20/baked-eggs-with-smoked-mackerel/|publisher=AOL Lifestyle|date=20 February 2012|access-date=30 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224135115/http://lifestyle.aol.co.uk/2012/02/20/baked-eggs-with-smoked-mackerel/|archive-date=24 February 2012}} Another variation suggested by the United States Department of Agriculture during the 1920s was to break the eggs into a bed of cooked rice.{{cite news|title=Shirred Eggs Always Good|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5iszAAAAIBAJ&pg=1024,1086792&dq=shirred-eggs&hl=en|page=8|access-date=30 March 2012|newspaper=The Pueblo Indicator|date=30 June 1928}}
Shirred eggs have also been compared to eggs Benedict; chef James Ramsden has described them as a more reliable and simpler recipe.{{cite web|last=Ramsden|first=James|title=Valentine's baked eggs|url=http://www.jamesramsden.com/2012/02/08/recipe-valentines-baked-eggs/|work=8 February 2012|date=8 February 2012 |publisher=www.jamesramsden.com|access-date=30 March 2012}}
See also
{{Portal|France|Birds}}