Eggs and Morels Baked in Cream

• 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

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. 

 

Serves 4.

 

VERDICT: We didn't have a shallot at the same time we had morels, so we used a little leftover green onion.  Not an intense flavor, but good.  Keep.