baked ham & three-cheese egg with garlic toast soldier

I've been thinking about baked eggs and toast soldiers ever since I tried a delicious version with bacon at Epicurious. That combination of crisp toasted bread dipped in soft, cheesy, flavourful egg. A sudden thought spurred me to make them for dinner tonight.

Reached for my Nigella Express cookbook and found a recipe for the unpronounceable Oeufs en Cocotte (eggs in ramekin) and tweaked the recipe, as my fridge doesn't have cream/milk or truffle oil. What I did have were shaved ham and three types of cheeses.

I found my eggs a little too runny (like the half-boiled kind you can find at Ya Kun Kaya Toast) for my liking. Maybe it was because the hot water bath I used was from the insulated kettle with water boiled this morning. If you use boiling water, it should turn out fine. Or it depends on your preference.

And here comes the perfect accompaniment, garlic toast soldiers. Buttery and crisp.

To round them up, I served them with Chinese pear salad with sesame dressing. The nutty and salty Japanese sesame dressing goes really well with the sweet Chinese pear; or you can use any fruit or dressing lying in the fridge. Okay, I'll admit that the real reason I was excited to make salad was because I wanted to try out the brand new salad spinner I bought yesterday! Works great!

For the baked egg:
(to serve 1)

butter for greasing
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cream (or milk, you can omit it if unavailable)
2 slices shaved ham, torn into bite-sized pieces
20 g shredded cheddar cheese (or mozarella, gruyere, swiss)
1 tablespoon Philadelphia cream cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese
a pinch of black pepper (skip the salt if you're using cheese)

*you can use bacon, spinach, chopped tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms or herbs too, just place them at the base before the egg

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degree celsius or 375 degree F. Boil a kettle of water.
2. Grease one ramekin (about 250ml capacity), putting them in a small but deep oven-proof dish. I find the best way to grease something is to use your index finger, I learnt that trick from a well-meaning friend, just make sure to wash your hands beforehand.
3. Place the shredded ham in the ramekin, covering the base, followed by cheddar and cream cheese. I made mine in two alternate layers, but I find it pointless, since your soldiers will be too eager to dig up the contents once it's done.
4. Crack two eggs in, spoon over the cream (if using) and sprinkle parmesan on top.
5. Pour boiling water into the dish to come up to the top of the eggs. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with black pepper. Serve immediately, but take care not to spill the scalding hot water when removing from the oven.

For the garlic toast soldier:
(makes 4 soldiers)
*I would highly recommend you double the recipe to make 8 of these handsome gentlemen

1 slice wholemeal bread
1 tablespoon butter (I use slightly salted)
1 clove garlic, minced
1. Butter one side of the bread, toast for 5 minutes, buttered-side up.
2.  Remove from toaster or oven and butter the other side, sprinkle with minced garlic.
3. Place back under heat and toast for another 5 minutes, until crisp.
4. Slice into 4 slices (it's easiest to use a scissors to cut them into strips). Place them back into the oven for a further 5 minutes and to keep them warm until the egg is ready. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning.

For the Chinese pear salad with sesame dressing:
(to serve 1)

a handful of butterhead lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
1/4 Chinese pear, diced
3 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon bottled Japanese creamy sesame dressing (Kinnogomadare)
1. Toss ingredients with dressing. Ready to serve.

Enjoy!

xx