Baked Egg Boat

Brunch is my absolute favorite meal of all time, and not just because it usually involves champagne, but because you can sleep in and still enjoy a breakfasty type meal. This is a great breakfast/brunch option especially around the holidays because it feeds a ton of people with minimal effort. It's also very versatile and you can switch up the ingredients to whatever your heart desires. My friend Megan suggested making a sweet one, since a lot of the egg gets absorbed, almost like a french toast. I prefer the savory versions, but that's a good twist! You can also buy lots of little loafs and make individual boats, just make sure it's a crunchy bread so it can hold the liquid egg mixture, or you'll be cleaning up a mess!

Ingredients:

• 1 large loaf of crunchy bread, I used sourdough
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 8 large eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 small package Cremini Mushrooms
• 1 medium sized shallot 
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese 
• 2 cups of spinach
• 4 springs fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cut a deep V in your loaf of bread and hallow it out until almost all the insides are gone. Be careful not to rip out so much you make holes in the loaf.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add shallots and saute just until translucent. Add mushrooms and thyme and cook about another 5 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and slightly golden, and the thyme is fragrant. Add spinach and cook until it wilts, just a minute or two.

Add this mixture to the bottom of the hollowed out bread loaf.

Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture on top of the veggies. Top with grated cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the egg mixture is puffed and set and the cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.