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Baked eggs with spinach and brioche

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bunches spinach (about 1 ½ pounds), washed and stemmed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter for baking dish(es)
8 slices brioche, ½-inch thick each
12 large eggs
¼ cup crème fraiche
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about ¼ pound)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and, when it shimmers, add the garlic. Cook the garlic until fragrant and golden, about 3 minutes, and add the spinach. (Don't worry about a little water clinging to the leaves; it will help steam the greens.) Reduce the heat to medium, add a pinch of salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is just wilted, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the spinach to a bowl to cool (it need not cool completely before you proceed, but you don't want it so hot it will start cooking the eggs before they get into the oven.)

2. Lightly butter the brioche slices on both sides. Lay them on a sheet pan and bake in the oven, turning them mid-toast, until lightly browned and crisped, 3 to 5 minutes total. (Or toast the slices in a toaster in batches, and butter them as they are done.)

3. Lightly butter four ramekins or baking dishes large enough to hold the brioche in one layer. Arrange the brioche on the bottom of the dish (es) and evenly scatter the wilted spinach over the bread, making rough little nests to hold the eggs in place. Crack the eggs into the spinach nests and season them with salt and pepper. Drizzle crème fraiche over the dish (es), sprinkle with grated Parmesan, and set on the lowest shelf of the oven. Cook until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

*You can substitute other greens, such as sorrel or escarole, if they're better looking at the market or more readily available.