Shirred eggs
Eggs baked directly in a buttered shallow dish.
France · Runny, Tender · Easy · Researched
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Serves
- 2
Two shallow ovenproof dishes · Baking tray · Oven gloves
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 10 g butter, for the dishes
- 2 tbsp double cream
- A pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 tsp chopped chives
Method
Heat and butter
Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Butter the dishes and place them in a baking tray.
Look for: The whole inner surface has a thin butter coating.
Fill the dishes
Add one egg to each dish without breaking the yolk. Spoon a tablespoon of cream around each white and season.
Look for: Cream sits around the white, not over the yolk.
Bake directly
Bake without a water bath for about 10–12 minutes. Check early, since dish depth changes the timing.
Look for: The whites become opaque from the edges inward.
Check and serve
Remove when all white is set and the yolk reaches your chosen firmness. Add chives and serve on a plate with a warning that the dish is hot.
Safety: For this soft-centred preparation, use pasteurised eggs if available. The FDA recommends firm whites and yolks for the lowest risk; children, pregnant people, older adults and people with weakened immunity should choose the fully cooked option. Colour and texture do not prove that an egg is safe.
Look for: No clear white remains next to the yolk.
Equipment & heat
Equipment & heat
Temperatures below are for a conventional oven; reduce by 20°C / 35°F for fan cooking. Preheat first. Hob type only matters when heating the filling or water: induction needs a compatible pot, gas flames must stay under the base, and electric rings retain heat after switching off.
Nonstick: No frying pan needed. Ordinary glass or ceramic bowls may not be oven-safe.
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Set yolk with loose white usually means the dish is too deep or the oven too hot. Use the stated shallow dish or ramekin and check early.
About this version
About this version
The names overlap in cookbooks. Here, shirred means direct dry-oven baking and en cocotte uses a water bath, so the guides teach distinct processes.
Unless stated otherwise, use large chicken eggs, approximately 60 g in the shell, refrigerated. Timings are starting points: use the visual checkpoints and any stated temperature check.
Sources
This guide was written from the references below. Egg Atlas has not kitchen-tested it.
Illustrations by Egg Atlas. They show the method; they are not photographs of a tested result.