“Leaving so soon?” someone asked. We were having hastily arranged dinner at Cafe Saree. I had suggested the AA near the port area as it was the eve of a major holiday and all of my fellow promdi were making a beeline for home, but Emick insisted there was plenty of time to make it to the boat. She knows about managing time. It’s the only thing she does not have enough of.
She was also set to leave the next day. For New York. Or was it Canada? If I can’t be sure, it’s only because she’s always off to somewhere. She’s the most widely traveled person I know. How does she handle the stress of constantly being on the move?
“Why,” she raised a brow, “that’s the only time I get to rest!” Without a doubt, oncologists have the most emotionally taxing job in the world, if only a notch more taxing than being Kris Aquino’s confidant (that’s you and me, in case you’re wondering). It can’t be easy to be around cancer patients most of the time. It helps to have a sense of humor. If you find your physician lacking levity, you are probably more screwed than you already are. My cardiologist talks about food all the time, but I suspect he’s just baiting me. He doesn’t look like he eats at all. At least I’ve seen Emick eat. We arrived as the dishes flew in from the kitchen (she was early and had ordered for us).
“Have you tried this?” she said, digging into one of the mini cast-iron pots the food came in. “It’s shirred egg — whatever that means. It’s good.”
It was. And no — I had no idea what shirred egg was, either. I have had egg boiled, scrambled, fried, in an omelette, quiche, or frittata, salted, pickled, coddled, poached, steamed, stewed, deviled. Nuked, too. But shirred? Never heard of it. It looked poached.
No prize for that. Yes, I looked it up. Shirred egg is baked. The vessel it was traditionally baked in was called a shirrer, hence the name. Put it in a water bath while baking and the dish becomes en cocotte.
Of course.
I think the world of the French. Their revolution inspired ours. They also gave us antibiotics, the bicycle, the little black dress, the calculator, margarine, Bic, and Eric Rohmer. How come I never imagined they would turn to baking egg as well? Funny thing is, it is one of the easiest ways to cook egg. Easy and fast, without the mess. Break the egg into a buttered ramekin (or any flat-bottomed dish), season, and bake in an oven toaster (more economical than using a conventional oven). The egg cooks in less time than it takes for Kris Aquino to go off on a tangent.
The dish lends itself to many variations. My favorite so far is to bake the egg alongside crumbled precooked chorizo and dust the lot with grated cheese. Give me a bigger ramekin and I would pack rice into the bottom to create a truly one-dish meal. It’s hard to go wrong with shirred egg. Try it. It won’t change your life, but it will inject some into your usual breakfast. Don’t miss the boat on this one.
Shirred Egg with Chorizo
A wider ramekin allows room for more eggs and chorizo (try bacon, too!). I add half cream for the texture, but at the bottom — the dish just looks better that way. To make half cream, combine a teaspoon of heavy cream with two tablespoons of milk.
- egg
- chorizos, skinned
- cheese (Parmesan, gruyère, or cheddar)
- half cream (optional)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- butter, softened
- chopped spring onion greens, to garnish
- If using a regular oven, preheat to 425°F.
- Place several skinned chorizos in a cold frying pan and add a little water. Put pan over medium heat, crumbling chorizos as they soften. Cook until water dries out and chorizos cook in their own oil. Do not burn. Remove chorizo bits from pan and set aside.
- Brush the inside of a ramekin (or any flat-bottomed dish) with butter. Pour a tablespoon of cream into the ramekin (optional). Place crumbled chorizo along the sides and break an egg into the center. Season with salt and pepper, then top with grated cheese.
- Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until egg has set to your preference. If using an oven toaster, that’s about three cycles on high (note that the egg will continue to cook even after you take the dish out of the oven). Garnish with spring onion leaves and serve immediately.
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