Baked Eggs Lorraine

(from 226-2tone’s recipe box)

SERVES 6

In order for the eggs to cook properly, it is critical to add them to the hot filling–lined ramekins quickly. Prepare by cracking eggs into separate bowls or teacups while the filled ramekins are heating. If a yolk breaks during cracking, set aside for another use and proceed with a new egg. We developed this recipe using a glass baking dish, if using a metal baking pan, reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees. This recipe can be doubled. If doubling, bake the ramekins in two 13 by 9-inch pans and increase the baking times in step 3 and 4 by 1 minute.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Our recipe achieves the ideal combination of runny yolks nestled in fully set yet tender whites by turning up the oven to 500 degrees. Adding the raw eggs to preheated ramekins ensured that the heat transfer was rapid and that the egg whites cooked before the centered yolks had a chance to catch up. Lining each ramekin with an impermeable roux-thickened sauce protected the edges of the whites from blistering or turning rubbery. Pulling the baked eggs from the oven when the whites had just turned opaque but still jiggled accounted for carryover cooking. In those final 10 minutes the heat of the ramekins finished cooking and setting the whites.

Source: Cook's Illustrated Published November 1, 2012 (from RecipeThing user Bethany)

Categories: Eggs and Breakfast

Ingredients

  • 2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup half-and-half
  • 2 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Pinch cayenne
  • Vegetable oil spray
  • 6 large eggs

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cook bacon in medium saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer leeks to plate with bacon.

  2. Melt butter in now-empty pan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in half-and-half; bring mixture to boil, whisking constantly. Simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and stir in bacon-leek mixture, Gruyère, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne.

  3. Lightly spray six 6-ounce ramekins with oil spray. Evenly divide bacon-leek filling among ramekins. Using back of spoon, push filling 1 inch up sides of ramekins to create 1/8-inch-thick layer. Shape remaining filling in bottom of ramekin into 1½-inch diameter mound, making shallow indentation in center of mound large enough to hold yolk. Place filled ramekins in 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish. Bake until filling just starts to brown, about 7 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking.

  4. While filling is heating, crack eggs (taking care not to break yolks) into individual cups or bowls. Remove baking dish with ramekins from oven and place on wire rack. Gently pour eggs from cups into hot ramekins, centering yolk in ramekin. Spray surface of each egg with oil spray and sprinkle each with pinch salt. Return baking dish to oven and bake until whites are just opaque but still tremble, 6 to 8 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking.

  5. Remove baking dish from oven and, using tongs, transfer ramekins to wire rack. Let stand until whites are firm and set (yolks should still be runny), about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

  6. RECIPE TESTING – DEAD ENDS ON THE PATH TO PERFECTION: The inherent challenge in achieving a perfectly cooked baked egg is that the yolk needs to stay liquid (with a temperature hovering around 150 degrees) while the white needs to solidify (with a temperature of 165 degrees). Here are some of the wrong turns we took before getting both components to cook just right. BAKED IN WATER BATH THEORY: Water slows the heat transfer, giving the whites time to solidify without overcooking the yolks. OUTCOME: Perfect whites; pasty yolks. BAKED IN SALT BED THEORY: Salt is an even better insulator than water, providing the yolks with more protection. OUTCOME: Perfect whites; slightly less pasty yolks. BAKED IN BLAZING HOT RAMEKINS THEORY: The walls of preheated ramekins should give the whites a head start without harming the yolks. OUTCOME: Perfect yolks; blistered whites.

  7. TECHNIQUE – A CRADLE FOR YOUR EGG: Our key to perfect baked eggs: cradling them in preheated ramekins lined with a filling. The hot filling gives the whites just the right jump start on cooking, allowing them to set while the yolks remain runny. To ensure that the yolk stays centered (and away from the heat of the ramekin walls), we mound some of the filling in the middle of the ramekin and create a cavity that holds the yolk in place.

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