- 6
- 30 mins
- 50 mins
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm milk, preferably whole, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 cup grated Gruyère or mature Comté cheese (or a strong hard cheese like Parmesan or mature Cheddar), plus more for sprinkling
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 6 slices white bread, crusts removed
- 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the tin
- 2 1/2 ounces ham, cut into cubes or thin strips
- 6 small eggs
Preparation
Step 1
Make the cheese sauce
1. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir vigorously until a smooth paste forms. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 2 minutes.
2. Whisking constantly, slowly and gradually add the milk to the flour and butter and cook, continuing to whisk constantly, until the sauce is smooth. Place the pan back over medium heat, add the mustard and nutmeg, and simmer gently, whisking frequently to prevent the sauce from burning. Once the sauce thickens and has the consistency of a thick tomato sauce, which ought to happen after about 10 minutes, take it off the heat. Add the cheese, whisk until it melts, and season with salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk; if the sauce is lumpy, pass it through a sieve.
Assemble the muffins
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Butter a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin or 6 ramekins.
4. Flatten the bread slices with a rolling pin, then brush each slice on both sides with the melted butter. Line the tin with the bread, pressing a slice in each cup and tamping it down with the bottom of a narrow glass, a skinny jar, a vitamin bottle, or whatever you can find that fits.
5. Divide the ham among the muffin cups. Crack 1 egg at a time into a small dish, allowing the white to go into the dish and cupping the yolk in the shell. Gently place the yolk in a bread-lined muffin cup and then repeat with the remaining eggs. Gently whisk the whites and then pour a little of the whites into each muffin cup, not quite filling them completely. (You may have some whites left over.) Spoon about 2 tablespoons cheese sauce on top of each egg, then sprinkle with some reserved grated cheese and pepper.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs. Serve immediately.