make your own baked eggs brunch

(inhaling cookies after the race)

Josh completed the Los Angeles triathlon yesterday (yes, that’s swimming, biking, and running!). We had some family and friends over to celebrate after the race, and I set up a baked eggs bar. I recommend it for a simple, interactive brunch. I prepped everything in advance – so all that was left to do was assemble your own egg dish. Then we just popped them in the oven. More time for munching on mini cinnamon rolls and drinking mimosas.

(my baked eggs - i went all veggie)

I prepped the ingredients in the morning, after I dropped off Josh at Venice Beach for the swim. But you could just as easily prepare everything the night before.

Roasted Tomatoes:

4 tomatoes
1 tablespoon herbs de provence
½ teaspoon pepper
Cut tomatoes into large chop. Sprinkle with pepper and herbs de provence. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Roasted Mushrooms:
8 oz cremini
8 oz shitake
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Clean mushrooms with damp paper towel. Slice creminis in half and shitakes in quarters. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Sauteed Spinach:
1 bag of spinach
1 tablespoon of butter
Melt butter in sauté pan over medium heat. Add all of spinach and cover with lid until wilting begins (about 1-2 minutes). Remove lid and stir until spinach is cooked down (about 1 more minute).

(roasted mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, sauteed spinach)

I also bought some pesto, prosciutto, and goat cheese and assembled them on a platter for guests to add to their dish.

(prosciutto, pesto, goat cheese)

To assemble the eggs: Place ½ tablespoon of butter in the bottom of inidivudal baking dish (we use miniature crocks, but you could use ramekins). Have everyone dish in their ingredients. Crack eggs into separate glass bowls and gently pour atop the other ingredients. Finish with a ½ ounce or so of heavy cream. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees until whites are set (about 25-30 minutes).

Chris had the fabulous idea of writing everyone’s names on the foil so we could figure which dish belonged to each person. Genius.

We served the eggs with toasted English muffins, miniature cinnamon buns (from Trader Joe’s freezer section), fruit salad with blackberries, strawberries, and figs. Oh and blood orange mimosas – a very essential part of brunch.