What's Cooking: Results are egg-xactly what I had in mind

By Kerry McCray
kmccray@modbee.com

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Whatever your culinary passion, I guarantee there's a blog about it.

Fruitcake? Yes.

Coffee? Very popular.

Herbed-Baked Eggs

Critiques of burrito joints nationwide? Yes.

Really. Someone has dedicated his spare time to this.

I recently came across a blog dedicated to Ina Garten, the Food Network goddess, aka the Barefoot Contessa. It's written by several foodies who call themselves the Barefoot Bloggers.

With a self-professed love for all things Ina, these bloggers pledge to make an Ina recipe every other week, then post a paragraph or two about what they think of it.

Sound familiar?

They've tested all kinds of dishes, like arugula pizza and a chocolate birthday cake that looks to die for. One of the first recipes they tried is Ina's herb-baked eggs.

This recipe is famous, at least among foodies. About a dozen people have suggested it to me over the years. I've always wanted to try it but never had a suitable occasion. It's not exactly something you serve at a Girl Scout meeting or a 7-year-old's birthday party.

So, I picked it for this week's recipe. Shopping was easy, except I forgot the eggs and cream, which is pretty much what the dish is made of. My husband had to run back to the store.

The good thing about this and most Ina recipes is that everything is available at any grocery store. There's no driving across town for specialty items.

The herbs — I used thyme, rosemary and basil — came from my garden. The gratin dishes were my husband's before we got married. (Why would a single guy have gratin dishes?)

Preparation was a breeze, but I was a little worried about the final product. I kept opening the oven and poking the eggs with a knife, trying to see if the whites were cooked, if the yokes were runny, and vice versa.

Finally, it was time to dig in. I was surprised — in a good way. The whites of the eggs were barely firm, and the yolks were quite runny. Just the way I like them.

The cream added a silky texture. And the crunch of the cheesy-herb topping? Perfection.

I loved the dish.

Some testers had a problem with the way their eggs cooked. Runny whites and burnt topping were common.

The only thing I can think of is that eggs are intensely personal — everyone likes their eggs cooked to a slightly different doneness. If well-cooked eggs are your thing, you could always bake the dish after broiling as directed.

Also, differences among broilers could account for the overly toasty topping.

But mine worked out fine. I'm so happy about the way it turned out, I might just create an egg blog ... or an herb blog ... or a crunchy-Parmesan topping blog.

To check out the Barefoot Bloggers, visit barefootbloggers.wordpress.com.

Bee staff writer Kerry McCray can be reached at kmccray@modbee.com or 578-2358.

What The Testers Had To Say

This is a nice way to do eggs. The herbs add a lot of flavor. I used large muffin tins and dropped one egg in each. I probably should have adjusted the cooking time, given this change, but was very pleased with the presentation of the eggs — perfect cylinders topped with herbs and crispy cheese. My husband, the bigger egg fan, was even more delighted.

— Ann Griffith, Modesto

• • •

The recipe sounds delicious, but it is half-baked, as were my eggs when I followed its directions. I actually baked the eggs for about 11 minutes before the egg white solidified. By that time the topping was well-charred, ruining the fresh-herbs-and-Parmesan flavor. I wish the recipe had told me what to expect, what the dish should look like, and how I should serve it. I'll try these toppings on my poached eggs next Sunday. I know they will be delicious.

— Ralph Moore, Modesto