Five Year Anniversary Breakfast: Baked Eggs with Artichokes and Parmesan

Friday was Tim and my five year wedding anniversary!  It’s hard to believe it’s been so long since that beautiful day in Lenox, MA.

Tim and I celebrated with an amazing dinner at Bouley.  I have been lucky enough to dine at Bouley a few times.  I think it only gets better — or at the very least I am able to appreciate it more and more.  We’re also headed to Spain — the Basque region — later in the month for a little vacation, second honeymoon, and delicious food and wine.

Since food and cooking have been such a part of our relationship, I couldn’t let the anniversary pass without cooking something for Tim.  I figured a nice breakfast would start the day off well!  But Friday was a workday so I needed to make something simple and relatively quick.

I opted for baked eggs.  My friend Patty gave me several oval au gratin dishes that she didn’t need and I’ve been eager to use them.  Plus who doesn’t love eggs baked with cheese and veggies!

I loosely followed the recipe below.  I used two eggs per dish.  I also used a dried Italian seasoning blend because I was out of fresh herbs.  I was generous with the parmesan and also added a little fontina as well.  In addition to the artichoke hearts, I added some halved cherry tomatoes to the dish as well.

As the eggs baked, I cooked some bacon in the oven — a much cleaner method than frying.  Both the eggs and bacon cooked at 400 degrees.

Tim loved the eggs and it was a wonderful start to our special day!

Baked Eggs with Artichokes & Parmesan
Bon Appetit

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 8 canned artichoke heart quarters, drained well, patted dry
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Rub butter onto bottom and sides of two 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups, dividing equally. Sprinkle with herbs, dividing equally. Place 4 artichoke pieces in each dish. Crack 1 egg into each dish, being careful not to break yolk. Sprinkle eggs with salt, pepper, and cheese. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake until eggs are softly set and cheese is golden, about 9 minutes. Serve immediately.