Baked Egg Gratin

I was supposed to post this a month ago, but clearly I forgot about it. After my weekend trip to NYC, where I had not one but two brunches with my friends (one of which was in fact at Five Points, and at which I indeed ate baked eggs and drank morning punch), I remembered this old post…

Brunch is an institution in NYC, and I have discovered that it’s not so much a big deal anywhere else. I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact it’s so easy to just hop on the subway and meet your friends within a half hour, regardless of where you’re going and regardless of the weather. But even if it weren't so easy, sunny Saturdays were definitely made for brunch and pavement pounding.

When I woke up today, the sun was streaming through my windows and the sky was perfectly blue, and it reminded me of my weekends in NYC – I definitely would have met my friends at Five Points on a day like this and then, having been fueled on baked eggs and morning punch, roamed the East Village, we would have stopped in our favorite stores, discovered new ones, and, most importantly fun of all, commented on the cast of characters that we ran across.

So because I was feeling sentimental and nostalgic today, I decided to make my own baked eggs.

Baked Egg Gratin
(serves 1)

2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon butter
¼ - 1/3 cup chopped vegetables*
¼ cup shredded cheese*
1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs
2 eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste

*For my two most recent versions of this, I used:

• 2 artichoke hearts, 1 large sun-dried tomato, basil, asiago cheese
• Chopped spinach, parsley, mozzarella cheese

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Heat oven to 350° F.

Combine the panko and butter in a 6-ounce ramekin. Put the ramekin on a baking sheet and toast the bread crumbs in the oven until they are lightly golden, about 8 minutes, stirring them halfway through. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the bread crumbs to a small bowl.

Put ½ of the vegetables, cheese, and herbs in the bottom of the ramekin. Crack the eggs into the ramekin, then pour the milk over them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then top with the remaining vegetables, cheese, herbs, and bread crumbs.

Return the ramekin (on the baking sheet) to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on how well-done you like your eggs. (I usually like my yolks a little runny but I lost track of time and baked the eggs for almost 20 minutes; the yolks were fully cooked.)

Serve immediately.