Breakfast for Dinner: Shirred Eggs

Last night for dinner I made a pot of Chicken Tortilla Soup (a recipe I will share with you all soon). As it is one of my favorite soups, when I commit to making it, I break out the 12 qt. stainless steel pot and make enough to last for at least 2 dinners, 2 lunches and excess for the freezer to keep on hand for a quick fix dinner. Well, somehow my honey and I managed to eat almost the entire pot last night, and I was only left with a small bowl full for lunch. Yea, it was that good. Unfortunately it was also supposed to be dinner for tonight, which I didn't quite realize until I stumbled in the door, exhausted from a long day at the clinic. So, what is a girl to do in a situation where the end of the week has left little to no food in the fridge? Breakfast for dinner, of course. As my favorite meal of the day I will happily whip up one of my go-to breakfast recipes when the feeling is right, and tonight, I'm feeling Shirred Eggs and Spinach.
Shirred eggs are a classic French dish. This basic method of baking eggs is called oeufs en cocotte which means "eggs baked in ramekins," à la française. You can bake eggs nestled in other foods such as rice, vegetables or sauces. These foods should be heated before the eggs are added for faster and more even cooking. Make indentations in the heated food with the back of a spoon, about 2-inch diameter. For individual servings of baked eggs, use baking dishes (ramekins, custard cups, individual soufflé dishes, or small oval bakers) that just fit the eggs plus the flavoring, food, or liquid. I love this dish for breakfast, it's a tasty way to work some vegetables into your morning routine.

Shirred Eggs with Spinach and Crisp Bread Crumbs
For the crisp bread crumbs:
2 tsp. unsalted butter
3/4 cup fresh sourdough bread crumbs
1 large garlic clove, pressed (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
For Everything Else:
1 lb spinach, well rinsed and stemmed
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
salt and pepper, to your liking
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
4 extra-large or jumbo eggs

1. To make the crisp bread crumbs, in a small fry pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the bread crumbs and garlic, and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until crisp and golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. The bread crumbs may be stored in a small, airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours before using.

2. Bring a large saucepan three-fourths full of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spinach, submerging it completely, and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Immediately drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water until the spinach is no longer warm. Gather into balls and squeeze very firmly to extract as much water as possible. Chop coarsely.

3. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Generously butter an 8 1/2-inch round gratin or similar-size shallow baking dish.

4. In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until any excess moisture has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cream, the salt, a generous amount of pepper and the nutmeg. Cook until thick and dry, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat.

5. Transfer the spinach to the prepared dish and smooth the top into a perfectly even surface. Using the back of a large tablespoon, form 4 evenly spaced, egg-shaped pockets, each 1 inch deep, in the top of the spinach. Break an egg into each depression.

6. Carefully transfer the dish to the oven and bake until the whites of the eggs are set and the yolks are still distinctly runny, 18 to 20 minutes. Scatter a few tablespoons of the bread crumbs over the top of the dish and serve directly onto individual plates, scooping up the base of spinach underneath each egg.

Enjoy.

(Note: This delicious dish is originally from my favorite Williams-Sonoma cookbook: Breakfast. Yes, totally mainstream but undeniably fabulous. I've adapted many a recipe from this particular cookbook, though I have to admit, this one is copied word for word. I'm a firm believer that you don't need to change something that is already perfect! If however, you want to spruce it up a bit, try adding a little bit of arugula to the spinach to add a peppery bite to the dish or maybe some freshly grated Romano cheese to top it all off.)