Eggs and Morels Baked In Cream

By markemilw

To clean fresh morels, dunk them into a bowl of cold water; drain them on a clean kitchen towel. You can substitute eight dried morels for the fresh: Cover with hot water in a medium bowl. Set a small bowl on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged. Let the mushrooms stand until soft, about 20 minutes, then lift them out of the water. Using paper towels, gently press out excess liquid, and let the mushrooms drain on a clean kitchen towel.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for dishes
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 8 fresh morel mushrooms, (about 1 cup), halved lengthwise
• Coarse salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 large eggs
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
• Crusty bread, for serving

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from marthastewart.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallot. Cook, stirring constantly, until shallot has softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Add cream; bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat, and let mushroom mixture cool 5 minutes.

Butter four 6-inch shallow baking dishes (such as gratin dishes). Place dishes on a rimmed baking sheet. Crack 1 egg into each baking dish, keeping yolks intact, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mushroom-cream mixture into dishes, dividing evenly, and sprinkle with chives. Bake on baking sheet until the egg whites are just set, 9 to 12 minutes. Serve with bread, for dipping.