Shirred Eggs
from 1950's edition of Betty Crocker Cookbook

Something magical happens when you bake eggs with cream: They turn into a dense, silky custard, becoming much more than the sum of their parts. Shirred eggs are baked in individual dishes with cream, butter, and sometimes other ingredients, such as cheese, bacon, ham, etc. Sometimes they were topped with breadcrumbs to create a crust. They differ from eggs en cocotte, which are baked in a ramekin sitting in a bain-marie, or water bath.

"Egg shirrers," which give Shirred Eggs their name, are small stone or china dishes that hold one or two eggs.

There’s a simple formula to traditional shirred eggs: Add a splash of heavy cream to a buttered ramekin, crack in an egg, garnish as desired and bake until the whites are just barely set. That order of operations is merely a suggestion — some recipes call for the cream to be heated to a simmer with aromatics and gently ladled over the egg in the ramekin before baking. Others substitute the cream with tomato sauce or omit it entirely in favor of a bed of ham, shredded potatoes or a circle of toast.

2 eggs per person
Butter
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. cream per person

For each person, carefully break 2 eggs into a buttered 3" shallow baking dish. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon 2 Tbsp. cream over each. Set dishes in a baking pan.

Bake in a preheated 350° F. oven until set around edges and still a bit jiggly in the center (10 - 15 minutes). For firm yolks, bake an additional 3 minutes. Let sit 2 to 3 minutes to set. Serve hot in the dish with buttered toast.

Variations:

Ham with Parmesan Cheese: Line the baking dishes with thin slices of ham before adding the eggs. After adding the cream, sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. parmesan cheese. When baked, garnish with fresh snipped chives and serve with hot buttered toast. You'll probably want to omit the salt from the original recipe.