Baked Eggs with Asparagus & Tomatoes

One of the good things about being on vacation for two weeks is that I’ve not been able to cook and add food photos to my hard drive.  That has forced me to go through what I’ve already accumulated, and either trash a dish, or make a mental note to post it.  Pathetically, when scanning through old photos, I can barely remember what I cooked, anyway.  So with the embarrassing addition of more than 750 vacation photos to my hard drive this week, it’s been easy to delete, delete, delete old food photos, and mark the recipe (if I can actually remember where it is) to be made again with much better photos.  Sounds like a great plan that, if I know myself, will struggle toward execution.  So much food, so little time, right?

In the meantime, it’s the weekend, and although half the world is smack in the middle of summer and not thrilled about turning on their ovens, knowing foodies as I do, sometimes, a recipe that’s easy and delicious makes us rethink that decision.  These baked eggs are something that we love.  They work for a bistro-style dinner later in the evening, or a tasty lunch when a salad is included.  Of course, they make a great breakfast, too — especially when there’s something special to celebrate.  It’s easy to mix and match ingredients, and this time, I included asparagus and tomatoes with a bit of cilantro and minced green onion.  Each time I’ve made these eggs, I’ve had some fun, but have never been disappointed.  The intensity of flavor is amazing.

Make sure you include the crusty toast.  It’s perfect for scooping up the delicious eggs.

Baked Eggs with Asparagus & Tomatoes
serves 4

1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 T cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 bundle asparagus, trimmed and cut in half
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and cored, then diced
8 large eggs
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 T unsalted butter
salt & pepper

Prepare asparagus by dropping into boiling, salted water for 1-2 minutes depending on thickness.  Immediately pour into a strainer and rinse under running cold water to stop the cooking.  Set aside on a clean towel.

Prepare all herbs and vegetables before preheating oven to “broil.”  Make sure your oven rack is set no more than 6″ from the heating element.

Combine garlic, cilantro, tomato, and green onion with salt and pepper to your liking in a small bowl and set aside.

To prepare the eggs, you will need 4 small cups to hold two eggs each.  You’ll not use these to cook the eggs in.  Instead, they’re to ready the eggs for quickly pouring into the hot, bubbling butter and cream.  After breaking two eggs into each cup, make sure to place the cups right near the oven.

On a baking sheet, place 4 gratin, or other oven-proof dishes.  A silicone mat lined baking sheet can help them from sliding around.

In each dish, place 1 T of heavy cream and 1/2 T of butter.  Place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, or until very hot and bubbly.

Without removing the baking sheet from the oven, quickly pour two eggs into each of the baking dishes, then add some pieces of asparagus, followed by a “sprinkle” of the tomato herb mixture.

Push the rack back into the oven and cook for about 5 minutes until the whites of the eggs are opaque and nearly cooked.  Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Notes: The original recipe can be found here.

• Depending on what you plan to serve this with, all needs to be ready before the eggs go in the broiler.  It goes so quickly that bacon can be kept warm, and toast should be finished.
• To make this toast, cut some crusty bread, brush with extra virgin olive oil and rub a sliced garlic clove over the surface before browning either upside down in a skillet over a flame, or under the broiler since you’ll be using that for the eggs.
• The fruit is simple.  Choose the combination you want, then sprinkle a bit of turbinado over it, letting it sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.
• We have found that goat’s cheese or feta sprinkled over the eggs after taking them from the broiler is very, very tasty.  Proscuitto added with eggs during the final heating is also excellent.
• This is not a dish that can be left unattended and the prep discussed is imperative, otherwise the dish will either burn, or cool down while you’re fumbling with anything not prepped, and then the cooking time will be altered.
• Some people enjoy their eggs well done, so to speak.  There’s always a chance that, when trying to get the eggs completely solid, the tops begin to brown.  They will get a bit rubbery if left in too long, so take them out before they’re completely done.  The very hot dish will continue to cook them.

Experiment and enjoy!