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Baked Eggs Espagnole
6 eggs 3 tablespoons chopped onion 3 tablespoons chopped green pepper 4 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup bread-crums 1/2 cup grated cheese Fry onion and pepper in the butter until slightly brown, then pour into a baking-dish. Break the eggs into the dish, being careful not to break the yolks. Mix the crums with the cheese and sprinkle over the eggs. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F.) until the eggs are set, but not hard. Serve in the dish in which they were baked.
A straightforward baked egg dish from the era when "Espagnole" on an American menu meant little more than onion and green pepper. The original gives its own oven temperature, which is unusual and helpful.
- The hinge: pull them earlyBaked whole eggs go from set to rubbery in a couple of minutes. At 350F expect 12-18 minutes depending on dish depth; take them out when the whites are opaque and the yolks still wobble, since carryover heat in a hot dish keeps cooking them at the table.
- Vessel and depthUse a shallow gratin dish or a 9-inch pie plate rather than a deep casserole. Six eggs in one layer, not crowded, so they set at the same rate.
- "Crums"An older variant spelling that turns up in cookbooks of this kind; whether it is deliberate or a printer's slip is not clear from the page. Dry breadcrumbs work better than fresh here, as fresh ones absorb butter and go pasty rather than browning.
- The cheese"grated cheese" unqualified in a book of this period most likely meant a firm American or a dry "store cheese." Sharp cheddar or a mix of cheddar and Parmesan gives the browning and salt the dish needs.
- ButterFour tablespoons for six eggs is generous by modern habit. Two to three is enough to soften the vegetables and still leave a buttery base under the eggs.
- Soften, do not brown hard"Until slightly brown" means the onion is limp and just beginning to color. Green pepper needs the full time to lose its raw edge, so give the pair 6-8 minutes over medium heat.
- YieldServes three as a light main course with toast, or six as part of a larger breakfast.
- Doneness and eggsThe yolks will remain soft if you follow the instruction not to cook them hard. Anyone who should avoid loose yolks should bake until the yolks are firm throughout.