If you’re cooking brunch for a crowd but want something other than a scramble, this muffin-tin method gets you pretty close to the elegance of poached eggs, with more ease and the added benefit of all the eggs cooking—and finishing—at the same time. The keys to making the recipe work: Use a muffin pan with standard-size cups; position it as far away from the heat as you can so the eggs cook all the way through before the top gets too firm. If you can’t get the rack 6 inches from the heat source, then heat the oven to 425°F with a rack fitted toward the top; put the eggs in and figure they’ll take about twice as long. Toast is the natural accompaniment, cut into sticks or “soldiers” for easy dipping.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘How to Cook Everything Fast, Revised Edition’ by Mark Bittman. Buy the full book on Amazon.
Broiled Cheesy Eggs: Divide ½ to 1 cup grated sharp cheddar or Gruyère cheese among the cups before cracking in the eggs in Step 2. It will take an extra couple minutes for the cheese to melt and the eggs to cook.
Broiled Prosciutto and Eggs: Cut 3 to 6 thin slices of prosciutto in half crosswise; drape a slice into each buttered cup before cracking in the egg in Step 2. It will take an extra couple minutes for the prosciutto to crisp and the eggs to cook.
Creamed Broiled Eggs: After buttering the cups, divide ⅓ to ¾ cup cream among them (that’s 1 tablespoon in each cup). Then crack in the eggs. This will only take an extra minute or two to cook the eggs. After scooping them out, drizzle any cream remaining in the cups over the top.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 3 to 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Turn the broiler to high; put the rack 6 inches from the heat. Grease 1 or 2 muffin tins (for a total of 6 or 12 cups) with 2 to 4 tablespoons butter.
Step 2
Carefully crack 1 egg into each of the cups.
Step 3
Put the muffin tin in the oven and broil until the eggs are just set (the yolks should still be slightly runny and the whites opaque), 6 to 8 minutes. Chop 2 or 3 Tbsp. chives for garnish if you’re using them.
Step 4
Gently remove each egg from the muffin tin with a spoon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve, garnished with the chives if you like.
Recipe notes
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