THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

EGGS IN CASES.

4 Eggs.

Pepper and Salt.

1 table-spoonful Grated Cheese.

A little Chopped Parsley.

1 table-spoonful Grated Bread.

1 teaspoonful Butter.

Have 4 small paper ramekin cases or china cases. Butter them well inside, and sprinkle a little pepper and salt, and a little chopped parsley in the bottom of each; drop an egg from the shell carefully into each, and sprinkle over each a little of the bread and of the cheese; put a small bit of the butter on the top, and put the cases into the oven for about three minutes till the eggs set. Serve in the cases.

~Black, Mrs. Superior Cookery. London & Glasgow: William Collins, Sons & Company, Limited, 1890.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• 4 eggs
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp. chopped parsley
• 4 Tb. grated cheese (Cheddar or Gruyère) – use more if you like!
• 4 Tb. breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon butter (plus extra for greasing the ramekins).

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease 4 ramekins with butter.

Sprinkle the bottom of the ramekins with salt and pepper, and divide the parsley between the 4 ramekins, sprinkling this into the bottom as well.

Crack an egg into the bottom of each ramekin (carefully!).

Top each with 1/4 of the cheese, and 1/4 of the breadcrumbs, and then dot each with 1/4 of the butter.

Prepare a water bath (bain-marie). Using a casserole dish that can fit all four of the ramekins, place each one into the casserole dish, and then pour boiling water into the bottom of the casserole dish so that it comes partway up the sides of the ramekins.

Transfer the casserole dish to the middle rack of the oven, and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Cooking time depends on how you like your eggs so keep a close eye on them. For runnier eggs, you’ll want to remove the dish from the oven once the whites are set.

Serves: 4

Serve these with buttered toast points, and if you have them, top with some fresh herbs. If you’re having these “Eggs In Cases” for a light supper, serve these with a side salad or some steamed vegetables.

A note from Patricia: This was another recipe that hadn’t been tested by my Aunt, but looked really tasty and really easy (I’m all about keeping things simple), so I thought I’d try it out. Many of the recipes for baked eggs that I came across suggested cooking them in a water bath, which is something I’ve never tried, and I liked the idea that it helps to gently cook the eggs all the way through (I live in fear of runny egg whites). For the bread crumbs, I used gluten-free bread that I pulsed in the food processor, and I used Gruyère cheese because it pairs so well with eggs. I have to say…. I loved this. Of course, you can’t go wrong with eggs, but cooking them this way made the eggs extra delicious, the bread crumbs gave it a bit of texture, and Gruyère makes everything taste good. It also felt a bit fancier – and who doesn’t like to feel a bit fancy sometimes? Need a new brunch recipe? Then this is the recipe for you.