Shirred eggs, also known as baked eggs, are
eggs that have been
baked
Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but it can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. Bread is the most commonly baked item, but many other types of food can also be baked. Heat is gradually t ...
in a flat-bottomed dish; the name originates from the type of dish in which it was traditionally baked. Shirred eggs are considered a simple and reliable dish that can be easily varied and expanded upon. An alternative way of cooking is to crack the eggs into individual
ramekin
A ramekin (, ; also spelled ramequin) is a small dish used for culinary purposes.
Name
The term is derived from the French ', a cheese- or meat-based dish baked in a small mould. The French term is in turn derived from early modern Dutch ', ...
s, and cook them in a
water bath, creating the
French dish '.
Description
Shirred eggs are eggs that have been baked in a
gratin
Gratin () is a culinary technique in which a dish (food), dish is topped with a Browning (food process), browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or cheese.Courtine, Robert J. (ed.) (2003) ''The Concise Larousse Gastronomique' ...
dish with a flat bottom.
[ Traditionally, they have been cooked in a dish called a shirrer, from which the dish gets its name, but the name now applies regardless of the type of dish in which they are baked. They differ from ', which are baked in a ]ramekin
A ramekin (, ; also spelled ramequin) is a small dish used for culinary purposes.
Name
The term is derived from the French ', a cheese- or meat-based dish baked in a small mould. The French term is in turn derived from early modern Dutch ', ...
sitting in a bain-marie
A bain-marie ( , ), also known as a water bath or double boiler, a type of heated bath, is a piece of equipment used in science, Industry (manufacturing), industry, and cooking to heat materials gently or to keep materials warm over a period of ...
, or water bath.whites
White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view.
De ...
have set and the yolk
Among animals which produce eggs, the yolk (; also known as the vitellus) is the nutrient-bearing portion of the egg whose primary function is to supply food for the development of the embryo. Some types of egg contain no yolk, for example bec ...
s are thickened, and are usually served in the dish in which they were baked.
Variations on the recipe include adding breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are a culinary ingredient consisting of flour or crumbled bread of varying dryness, sometimes with seasonings added. They are used for a variety of purposes, including breading or crumbing foods before frying (such as breaded cutlet ...
or cheese
Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
to the top of the eggs to create a crust, or garnishing with herbs such as tarragon
Tarragon (''Artemisia dracunculus''), also known as estragon, is a species of perennial herbaceous plant, herb in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread in the wild across much of Eurasia and North America and is cultivated for culinary and medic ...
.[ Adding a protein such as fish to the dish has also been suggested by chefs to round it out sufficiently to make it suitable as a dinner-time option. Another variation suggested by the United States ]Department of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...
during the 1920s was to break the eggs into a bed of cooked rice.
Shirred eggs have also been compared to eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict is a common American breakfast or brunch dish, consisting of two halves of an English muffin, each topped with Canadian bacon or sliced ham, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. The dish is believed to have originated in New Y ...
; chef James Ramsden has described them as a more reliable and simpler recipe.
See also
* List of egg dishes
This is a list of notable egg dishes and beverages. Egg as food, Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including bird egg, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have been eaten by humans for thousands of years.Kenneth F. Kiple, ...
References
{{Eggs
Cooking techniques
Culinary terminology
Egg dishes