Recipe | Baked Eggs with Tomatoes, Herbs, and Cream

With Easter a few days away, I decided to get cracking and plan our brunch.  I was looking for a new egg dish, something light and easy, when I spotted this one in a favorite cookbook {thanks, Jen! :)}...

I love the idea of really simple, provincial food served in individual portions.  Like fruit crisps and cobblers or baked mac and cheese.  It makes the food seem a little fancier than it is.  Same goes for this egg dish. I tested it out today just to make sure it tasted as good as it sounded.  They are so simple to assemble and they'll look pretty on a plate filled with other brunch food.

Baked Eggs with Tomatoes, 
Herbs, and Cream 
2 tsp unsalted butter
2-3 tomatoes seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
4 large eggs
4 tsp heavy cream
4 tsp grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350.
Generously butter four 1/2 cup ramekins.
In a bowl stir together, basil, parsley, tomatoes, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Divide evenly among ramekins. Cut 2 tsp butter into small pieces and divide among ramekins, sprinkling evenly over tomato mixture. Break an egg into each ramekin. Season with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Drizzle each egg with 1 tsp cream.  Arrange ramekins on rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until the egg whites are opaque and the yolks have firm edges and are soft in the center, about 15 minutes {mine took 17 minutes}.  If desired, sprinkle top with fresh herbs, diced tomato, and grated Parmesan cheese.

You could make this with all different kinds veggie and herb combinations too... leeks, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus to name a few...