Baked Eggs Lorraine

Baked Eggs Lorraine, serves 6

from Ellen's kitchen, with thanks to Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:

• 2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, washed thoroughly
• 1 tbs unsalted butter (or grease from bacon:)
• 1 tbs all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup half and half
• 2 oz gruyere cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
• salt and pepper
• 1/8 tsp dry mustard
• pinch cayenne
• vegetable oil spray
• 6 large eggs

Tip:

• to cook eggs properly, add to hot filling lined ramekins quickly.  Crack each egg (one at a time) into separate bowl/teacup prior to adding to hot ramekin.  If yolk breaks during cracking, set aside for another use and proceed with new egg.  

Adjust:

• rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees (if using glass baking dish to hold ramekins, 425 degrees if using metal baking dish).

Cook:

• bacon in medium saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes.  Transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate.  Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.  Transfer leeks to plate with bacon.

Melt:

• butter in now-empty pan (or leftover bacon grease :) over medium heat.  Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in half and half; bring mixture to boil, whisking constantly.  Simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened, 2-3 minutes.  Remove pan from heat, stir in bacon-leek mixture, cheese, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, mustard, and cayenne.  

Lightly:

• spray six 6-oz ramekins with oil spray.  Evenly divide bacon-leek filling among ramekins.  Using back of spoon, push filling 1 inch up sides of ramekins to create 1/8" thick layer.  Shape remaining filling in bottom of ramekin into 1/2 inch mound, making shallow indentation in center of mound large enough to hold yolk.  Place filled ramekins in baking dish and bake until starts to brown and bubbling, about 7 minutes.

While:

• filling is baking, crack eggs (taking care not to break eggs) into staging bowl.  Remove baking dish with ramekins from oven.  Gently pour eggs from staging bowl into hot ramekins, centering yolk in ramekin.  Spray surface of egg with oil spray and sprinkle with pinch salt.  Return baking dish to oven and bake until whites are just opaque but still tremble, 6-8 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking.

Remove:

• baking dish from oven.  Let stand until whites are firm and set (yolks should still be runny), about 10 minutes.