Cloud Eggs (Egg Nests)

Breakfast

When I was on the Rachael Ray Show for the second time, they asked me to try out cloud eggs and report my findings. But what are cloud eggs, anyway?

Turns out, they’re simply sunny-side up eggs with a twist. Instead of a thinner egg white surrounding the yolk, we separate the yolk from the white and then beat the lightly seasoned whites into oblivion until stiff peaks form (almost like a meringue).

From there, we fold in some cheese, create individual clouds with the fluffy mixture, bake it, add the yolks back, bake it again and presto! You’ll have an impressive brunch treat that will send all who taste it to cloud nine.

It’s as if Cheez-Its had a baby with an egg!

 
Cloud Eggs
Eggs in ramekins
Pre-heat your oven to 450°. Then, take some eggs – each in their separate small bowl or ramekin.
Egg separator
Then, take an egg separator (NOTE: they’re so handy and less cumbersome than separating by playing a came of catch with two cracked egg shells)…
Egg separator with just yolk
…and crack the egg into the separator over a large mixing bowl. Gently move it around, allowing all the egg white to drip into it so you’re just left with the yolk.
Yolks in ramekins and egg whites in mixing bowl.
Repeat the process for however many eggs you’re using: all the whites into one large mixing bowl and the yolks separated into their own little bowls or ramekins.
Adding a pinch of salt to egg whites
Season the egg whites with a pinch of salt…
Adding white pepper to mixing bowl
…and white pepper.
Hand mixer in bowl
Take a hand mixer (which is why we wanted the bowl to be large)…
Beating egg whites until stiff
…and blend for a few minutes, until stiff peaks form and it looks like a meringue/foam/whipped cream.
Now take some grated cheese…
Folding the cheese into the egg whites
…and, like David & Moira, fold it in. (NOTE: “Folding something in” means sort of just that – tucking an ingredient gently into another so that it gets mixed in. Be light and not aggressive as the beaten eggs whites are delicate.)
Folded egg whites
When done folding, it should look like this. Still fluffy (because you gently folded in the cheese).
Parchment paper on baking tray
Now grab a baking tray and some parchment paper (NOT foil. Parchment paper is your best friend when it comes to no sticking on a baking tray).
Adding cloud eggs to baking sheet
Evenly dole out as much egg white mixture per egg you used and form it into a clump on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet (leaving some space between each). So if you used 4 eggs, you’d make four egg white clouds. Then, use the back of a spoon to create a little indent in the center of each cloud for where the yolk will go (but we won’t add those yet).
Baking egg whites
Once they look like this (and your oven’s pre-heated to 450°), you’re ready to bake for just a few moments.
Removing egg cloud eggs from oven
After a few moments of baking, take them out of the oven…
Adding yolks to cloud egg
…and carefully place one egg yolk into the indentation of each cloud egg (which is why we had them separated).
Baking cloud eggs
Once the yolks are all nesting on their clouds, pop them back into the oven for another brief baking.
Finished cloud eggs
When done, they’ll look like this! (NOTE: one of my yolks was a little loose and broke which caused a little unique creation. No biggie if this happens, but for aesthetic, but very careful with your yolks when handling).
Spatula removing cloud egg
Using a spatula, you’ll easily be able to remove the finished cloud egg thanks to the parchment paper.
Now don’t those look pretty?! Cloud eggs have a pretty short shelf-life of when they taste best – which is immediately after making them. So be sure the table’s set, the mimosas are flowing and everyone is done playing Cards Against Humanity just before serving.
Man showing cloud egg
Show off those little balls of sunshine floating in a cheesy, fluffy, eggy cloud…
Man trying cloud eggs
…and give this breakfast/brunch showstopper a try.
In fact, you can also simply grab the entire cloud egg by hand and eat it like a slice of pizza or a bagel (speaking of which – feel free to top it with some bacon or veggies!)
…and enjoy a little slice of cloud nine! Goes GREAT with Steel Cut Oats.
Cloud Eggs (Egg Nests)
Yield: 4

Cloud Eggs (Egg Nests)

Cloud Eggs (Egg Nests)

When I was on the Rachael Ray Show for the second time, they asked me to try out cloud eggs and report my findings. But what are cloud eggs, anyway?

Turns out, they're simply sunny-side up eggs with a twist. Instead of a thinner egg white surrounding the yolk, we separate the yolk from the white and then beat the lightly seasoned whites into oblivion until stiff peaks form (almost like a meringue).

From there, we fold in some cheese, create individual clouds with the fluffy mixture, bake it, add the yolks back, bake it again and presto! You'll have an impressive brunch treat that will send all who taste it to cloud nine. It's as if Cheez-Its had a baby with an egg!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 11 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large or extra large eggs
  • 1 pinch regular salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, Pecorino-Romano or a mix of both

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450˚ with a rack positioned in the center.
  2. Over a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs into an egg separator and allow the egg whites to drip into the mixing bowl by gently swishing the separator around (it’s gonna look like a runny nose when you do this, but bear with me). Once all the whites have fallen into the bowl, place the yolk from each egg in its own ramekin/bowl to keep them separated (we'll get back to this later).
  3. Add the salt and white pepper to the egg whites. Beat with a hand mixer, starting at low speed and slowly increasing until stiff peaks form and it looks like a meringue/whipped cream/foam, about 2 minutes.
  4. Gently fold in the cheese, being careful not to deflate the egg whites. (NOTE: Because David and Moira had some trouble, folding cheese is merely just that - carefully taking a spatula to the bottom of the bowl with delicate ingredients, such as an egg white foam, and gently folding/tucking it into a mixture versus stirring it in).
  5. Spoon 4 equal dollops of egg whites onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, with some space in between each. Using the back of the spoon, create indentations in the center of each dollop, which is where each egg yolk will go (but NOT yet). Bake on center rack for 3 minutes. 
  6. Now, carefully add each egg yolk to the indentation of each egg white and bake for 3 minutes more. Serve immediately for best results.

Jeffrey's Tips

You can use as many eggs as you wish. Just make sure you dole out equal portions of the egg white mixture on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet per how many eggs you used (so if you used 4 eggs, create 4 clouds so the 4 yolks will set in them. If you used 8 eggs, make 8 clouds, and so

You can totally eat these with your hands if you wish! Top with some bacon, sausage, Canadian bacon or veggies of your choice!

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