About This Recipe
This wonderful breakfast recipe for Eggs Lorraine is a variation on a recipe from an old cookbook. (I have no idea who Lorraine was.) The original featured whole eggs placed on top of sausages, butter, and cheese, then drizzled with cream and baked. Since I never serve undercooked eggs for food safety reasons, I always baked the casserole until the eggs were firm.
The results never really pleased me, and the recipe was, frankly, unappealing to look at. But I love the combination of eggs, cheese, and sausage for breakfast or brunch. So I thought about a way to save the recipe.
It was an easy fix; just beat the eggs with the cream! The resulting dish is more like a frittata: puffy, tender, and gorgeous to look at. It’s even better to eat. This is a great choice for a back to school first day breakfast. All you need is some orange juice, milk, coffee, and fresh fruit for a great start to your day.
You can also make this recipe with bulk sausage, cooked until it is brown. Just substitute this for the link sausage.
How to make the best Eggs Lorraine:
- Butter spread in the dish not only makes the eggs easy to remove, it adds nice flavor and makes the eggs more tender.
- When eggs are beaten, air is incorporated into the protein web in the egg yolk and the white. When the mixture is heated in the oven, it puffs up. Cream makes the mixture more tender by interfering with the protein web.
- In the heat of the oven, the eggs puff up as the air trapped in the protein expands.
- Cheese put under and over the eggs will distribute more evenly as the eggs bake and rise. If you put all the cheese on top, it may hinder the egg expansion and the finished product will not be as fluffy.
Why this recipe works:
- The combination of sausage and eggs is classic. The eggs become very fluffy and light when prepared this way, and the sausage is crisp and meaty.
Steps
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1
Done
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. |
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2
Done
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Cook the sausages until they are brown. The easiest way to do this is to put the sausages and a few tablespoons water in a large skillet. Set over medium heat and cook until the water evaporates. Then the sausages will start to brown. Turn them frequently until they are nice and brown all over. |
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3
Done
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Spread the butter in the prepared dish. Place the sausages over the butter and sprinkle with half of the Colby cheese. |
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4
Done
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Beat the eggs and cream in a medium bowl until well blended. |
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5
Done
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Pour the egg mixture over the sausages and cheese in the casserole dish. Top with the remaining Colby cheese and the Parmesan cheese. |
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6
Done
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Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the casserole is puffed and starting to brown on top. Cut into squares to serve. |
