This is the dish to make on a rainy, overcast day when you might perhaps be feeling a little low or forlorn. Of course, you can also make it when you realize you’ve neglected those cute little ramekins that you store halfway back in your plate pantry. They have a magical way of dressing up even the most humble of foods, like say…eggs!, and turning a seemingly normal meal up a notch.
As an aside, I once had new friends over for dinner and the female counterpart, a lovely and funny woman, helped herself to a glass in my pantry and noticed the ramekins. “The lady has ramekins,” she said to her husband. “Kinda hard not to like people who own ramekins.” She seemed really impressed and I felt I somehow had passed some sort of universal ramekin test I didn’t know existed. But anyway…
You can also make this dish when you’re having your people over for brunch and are looking outside the box of typical egg casseroles. It’s fast to assemble, staggeringly savory and delicious, and…you win extra points for understated panache.
But today…today was kind of a blah day for me. Hubby’s been away on business a lot and things looked, well…like the overcast sky above me as I looked out my kitchen window.
That is, until I started making these eggs.
As I was photographing the stages of preparation, I started getting drawn in to all of its luscious colors. The yellow of the yolks were so brilliant. The vibrant green so soothing. And the crimson tomato sauce so uplifting. The more I shot, the happier I became.
And it doesn’t look too shabby cooked either! And then biting into one and tasting the creaminess of the cheese, the chewiness of the egg…all melded with the subtle taste of basil and cream. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Come to think of it…it’s a pretty perfect lunch!
Yet another example of cooking as therapy….Weee!
making ramekin eggs & spinach
Preheat the oven to 375°F and coat 6 ramekins with olive oil.
Dollop 1 tablespoon of cream cheese (or a spreadable cheese like Rondelé) on the bottom of each ramekin.
Then add 5 baby spinach leaves (torn if on the large side) in each ramekin .
Add 1 large egg, a pinch of salt directly on the egg.
Add 1 generous tablespoon of store-bought or homemade tomato sauce.
Finally, add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream (or half-and-half) and black pepper to taste in each ramekin.
Once filled, place the ramekins on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. Lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve. Makes 6 servings.
ramekin eggs & spinach
- Serves: 6
- Category: Eggs
Ingredients
- olive oil for coating ramekins
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or shredded cheese of your choice
- 6 tbsps. cream cheese or a spreadable cheese like Rondelé
- 30 baby spinach leaves
- 6 large eggs
- 6 tbsps. plain tomato sauce (see recipe below)
- 6 tbsps. heavy cream
- Salt and freshly-cracked pepper, to taste
How To
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and coat 6 ramekins with olive oil.
- Dollop 1 tablespoon of cream cheese (or a spreadable cheese like Rondelé) on the bottom of each ramekin.
- Then add 5 baby spinach leaves (torn if on the large side) in each ramekin .
- Break 1 large egg and add a pinch of salt in each ramekin.
- Add 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce in each ramekin.
- Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream (or half-and-half) and black pepper to taste in each ramekin.
- Place the ramekins on a baking sheet, place it in oven, and lower the temperature to 350°F. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve.
- Place the muffin tin in the oven and lower the temperature to 425°F. Bake for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes or until the tops of the egg muffins are nice and golden. Allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes and then gently, with your finger tips, gently lift them out and place them on a serving platter or plate. Serve immediately, though they actually taste even better the next day. Makes 24 mini muffins.
tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 3 TBSPs regular olive oil, no need to use extra virgin
- 1 medium-sized white or Vidalia onion, grated
- 2 28 oz. cans whole, peeled tomatoes (San Marzanos are great to use, if you can find them)*
- Kosher or sea salt to taste
- A handful fresh basil leaves (optional)
How To
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pot or cast-iron Dutch oven on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add oil and turn heat up to medium-high. Heat the oil for a minute or two and then add the grated onion and a couple pinches of salt and mix well. Once the onion begins to sizzle, lower the heat to low and give it one last stir. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cooking the onion too quickly over too high a heat can create bitterness, so it’s important to cook it SLOWLY.
- Heat the olive oil or melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot or dutch oven and add the grated onion. (If using oil, you can use extra virgin if it’s the only thing you have in the house, it’s just more expensive and its coveted flavor, so wonderful raw on a salad, is completely lost.)
- While the onion cooks, pour 1 can of tomatoes into a vegetable mill that’s resting on top of a large bowl. Turn, changing directions from time to time (doing so will more effectively squeeze out the tomatoes flesh and juice), until the tomato bits in the vegetable mill start to look shriveled and dried out. Repeat the same step with the second can of tomatoes.
- Pour the very ‘liquidy’ remains of the tomatoes into the cooked onion, along with a few pinches of salt (to taste) and a teaspoon of sugar (to tame the acidity of the tomatoes). Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. You should see a gentle bubbling in the pot.
- Once thickened, the sauce is done. If you wish, place a few washed leaves of basil on top and close the lid for 5 minutes. Serve with plenty of Parmesan and the pasta shape of your choice. This recipe makes enough to coat a pound of pasta (spaghetti, penne, rotini, etc.).
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