The Illustrious Egg Bake

I recently decided that if I were to live on only one food source for the rest of my life, it would be eggs. I mean, maybe there are other foods that would provide better nutrition or protein or fat, but would I want to eat them day after day? Probably not. Maybe coconuts. But really, I am all about the egg.

I recently got to try duck eggs for the first time - pretty fresh from the back yard. The yolks take up almost the entire egg! And they were this brilliant yellow-orange. My Charming Companion and I actually made some kick ass hollandaise sauce to go with said duck eggs, which I hopefully will get around to posting soon.

Anyway, tonight I decided to make egg bake for dinner. I actually most love making egg bake for brunch when people are coming over because 1) it tastes super good and 2) is exceptionally easy and can be prepped in advance (you could even make the whole think in advance and just reheat it). I am relatively new to the egg bake phenomenon...always having gone for quiche before. But jeez - who needs crust with eggs this good? Well, eggs and butter and cream this good. It seems that a good egg bake just takes the butter (and cream?) that would have gone into the crust, and mixes it directly with the eggs. I will note here that one does not need to put butter and cream in their egg bake...it is a very forgiving concoction, and really you could just go straight up egg if you wanted. But going for the full fat option is quite festive and filling and also sort of brunch like. And it will help everyone be able to have more coffee without getting that crazy feeling.

The recipe below is modified from several egg-bake options. I have found that this basic recipe lends to any variety of fillings. Tonight it is asparagus and bacon from the farmer's market, and arugula from my garden! This is the recipe for a large rectangular baking dish; it can easily be halved and made in a square cake pan, round casserole dish, or cast iron.

Serves 8-ish
12 eggs
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. cream (whipping cream or half and half)
2 t. dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 t. each)
2 c. cheese (try a mix of anything: cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere, asiago)
2-3 c. filling
fresh herbs

Filling ideas:
frozen spinach and sauteed mushrooms
bacon (cooked and chopped), asparagus (lightly sauteed), and arugula*
zucchini, garlic and onion (sauteed first) with parsley, basil and marjoram
*If adding fresh greens like arugula, steam them first and squeeze out any extra water

Coat your pan with oil or butter, and preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, whisk eggs, then add softened butter, cream, mustard, salt and pepper (whisk that too). Spread filling in the bottom of your buttered dish, including any fresh herbs. Pour egg mixture over the top, and top with cheese. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a knife comes out clean. Let rest for 5 minutes, during which time you can prepare yourself or others to experience some melt in your mouth goodness.