Foodie Friday — Shirred Eggs with Puttanesca

One of my favorite places for a weekend getaway is only about ten miles or so from my house. Located in the lovely town of Dunedin, Florida, the Meranova Guest Inn is the best bed and breakfast I have ever had the pleasure of staying at. I will be doing a full post about this place in the next week or two, but today I want to share one of my favorite recipes that resulted from my first visit to the Inn.

One morning at the Inn I was treated to Frank's Shirred Eggs with Puttanesca Sauce under the gazebo at the Meronova. The whole meal was beautiful and delicious and I was determined to make this at home for family and friends. The picture above was taken under the Inn's gazebo and will give you just a hint of what is in store for you should you decide to come to Florida this winter when your temperatures hit freezing!


Here is the recipe I use now after several attempts and many adjustments to suit my taste buds. Frank's recipe was perfection and having it served to me under the gazebo is far better than anything I could ever do at home!

Shirred Eggs

2 large or extra-large eggs - cracked into two small individual ramekins
1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon cream
1 slice sourdough or whole-grain toast

1. Place an individual-sized, shallow, oven-proof dish over moderate heat and add the butter. I use little oval baking dishes for this, but you can use whatever you have in your kitchen as long as they are small and shallow.
2. After the butter has melted, pour the eggs into the dish simultaneously (this ensures they will end up evenly distributed with the yolks towards the center of the dish) and cook for approximately 30 seconds until a layer of white has set in the bottom of the dish.
3. Remove from heat and tilt the dish so that the butter can baste the egg.
4. Add the cream on top of the eggs.
5. Place the dish about an inch under a hot broiler for about one minute. The white should be set and the yolk filmed and just starting to set.
6. Remove from oven and gently slide on top of toast.
7. Top with Puttanesca Sauce and serve immediately.
   

Yield: 1 serving Alternatively you can melt the butter, pour into your baking dishes, pour in the eggs, top with cream and then bake in a preheated 325° F oven until whites are completely set and yolks are beginning to set, about 12 to 18 minutes, depending on number of servings being baked. This method works very well if you're having guests and you want to be able to have everything ready at the same time.

Puttanesca Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons capers, drained
4 anchovies, minced
18–24 Calamata olives, halved
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon oregano or basil, crushed or 1 tablespoon fresh basil from the garden

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 or 6 minutes.
3. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or two.
4. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, capers. anchovies, and olives.
5. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until sauce is slightly thick.
6. Add pepper flakes, salt, and oregano or basil and simmer for just another minute.

Makes enough for about 6–8 servings of shirred eggs, about four cups. You can also toss this sauce with pasta. Yummy!

Be sure to visit our lovely hostess Michael @ Designs By Gollum for even more links to Fabulous Foodie Friday Participants!