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Ham in Ramekins with Shirred Eggs

A baked dish of ham and eggs served in ramekins.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Ham and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,526 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Ham in Ramekins with Shirred Eggs

Oven, in the book's wordsA moderate oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Prepare

  1. Line small ramekins with a thin layer of minced ham and parsley.

Make the eggs

  1. Whip the egg whites to a stiff froth, adding a pinch of salt.

  2. Fill the ramekins with the whipped egg whites, making a slight depression in the center of each.

  3. Carefully slip the egg yolks into the depressions, ensuring they do not break.

Bake and serve

  1. Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) just long enough to set the eggs.

  2. Serve immediately.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,526 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Parsley + eggtop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,765 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  3. Ham + parsleytop 24% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together3,249 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Egg whites
Whipped to a stiff froth, they form the airy base that holds the eggs.
Egg yolks
Set in the center during baking, they provide richness and a creamy texture.
Minced ham
Lines the ramekins, adding savory flavor and a little fat to the dish.

The step that matters

Bake just until the eggs set. Egg whites and yolks thicken as their proteins coagulate with heat. Overbaking tightens them into a dry, rubbery texture, so the eggs should be removed as soon as the whites are set and the yolks still look soft.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, egg):

  1. Nutmegfits about as well
  2. Capersfits about as well
  3. Parsleythe original
  4. White pepperfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against ham, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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