Caramelized Shallots (Paleo, Gluten-free, Vegetarian)

Ben and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year!  My mom is coming, and so are several of my friends from school whose families are too far to visit during our short break.  I have never hosted Thanksgiving before, and I'm a little nervous!  Ben is going to make the turkey, which I guess is the hardest part, but I'll still have lots of work to do making appetizers, sides, and dessert.

I tested two Thanksgiving sides today--these caramelized shallots, and a roasted garlic, squash, & rutabaga puree (coming soon).  They were both delicious!  I served them alongside these pork chops from Simply Recipes, and it was the best lunch I've had in a long time.  

I've been wanting to make these shallots ever since I first got my hands on Barefoot in Paris (I am a huge Ina Garten fan!).  They are amazing--sweet, tangy, salty, buttery, and beautiful!  I made a couple of changes to make the recipe paleo and reduce the fat a bit.  Ina also recommends leaving the roots attached to the shallots, but I trimmed mine before cooking because I wanted to be able to eat them without cutting anything off.  You could try leaving them on if you like--it does make for an elegant presentation.

Baked Eggs with Parmesan and Chives

This is the perfect breakfast!  In my opinion, baked eggs are really special.  It's something about the texture of the whites--they turn into a perfectly smooth, savory custard.  With a rich parmesan crust and a sprinkling of chives, these baked eggs are the best I've ever had.

If you've never tried baked eggs, go fire up your oven!  I promise you won't regret it.

Ingredients (per person):

1/2 teaspoon butter
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
1-2 eggs
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 350.  Place a half teaspoon of butter in the bottom of an individual ramekin, and place it in the oven to melt the butter.

When the butter is melted, remove the ramekin from the oven.  Add a splash of cream.  Add the eggs, being careful not to break the yolks.  Sprinkle the salt, parmesan, and chives on top.

Return the ramekin to the oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until the whites are just almost set (the eggs will continue to cook a little after they come out of the oven).  The yolks will still be runny.  Serve hot with buttered toast.