Baked eggs with cream and herbs

Sometimes it's hard to find the energy to cook. Even when you're passionate about cooking (and eating!), there will always be that night that makes it seem impossible to make something nutritional and homemade. For me, that night occurs every other Sunday, when I return from a weekend visit with the boyfriend at around 9pm, just in between bedtime and dinner time. I'm too tired to really cook, but too hungry to settle for a little snack.

One fast dinner option I never get tired of is the ultimate comfort food: eggs. Especially when they're drizzled with heavy cream and speared with slivers of buttered toast. Nigella Lawson and Laura Calder introduced me to the concept, and the beauty of it is that it's so customizable. When I got home last night, I wanted my eggs really rich: I wanted them with cheese and chives, too.



The method is simple. Heat your oven to 375F. Then boil a kettle of water. Meanwhile, for each egg you're planning on making, butter one ramekin. Sprinkle the ingredients you're craving in the bottom of the ramekins --no more than a couple of tablespoons per ramekin. Pick any cheese, herbs, meat, or veggies you'd like. Crack one egg in each ramekin, on top of the ingredients. Then spoon about 1 tbsp of heavy cream (a.k.a. whipping cream, 35% m.f.) on each egg. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the ramekins in a casserole dish and pour the boiling water into the casserole until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 15 minutes (for soft-baked eggs). Serve with toast.