In heavy rotation

There's not a lot we can count on...Saturday mail service may soon become a memory...but I can always count on enough eggs in the fridge to do Baked Eggs for dinner...

And while one egg is un oeuf, this takes a dozen.

(Sorry, couldn't help myself...besides, how often can one be punny in two languages?)

I intended to complement it with haricot verts and toasted ciabatta, but I forewent the veg in favor of getting the masses fed quickly...especially since this is heavy on the prep and quick on the cooking.

Details?
Here goes:

-Preheat the broiler and, if it's within the oven, put the rack in the upper middle position...you can put it higher but the cooking process is faster...and I need the time afforded by having the flame further from the food. [Um, Mom, didja know about Trotsky? No, you can't use Wikipedia as a cited source. Huh? Grandma's birth date?... I guess I can count on interruptions!]
-In a small bowl, toss a third cup parmesan with a thinly sliced shallot, 4 minced garlic cloves and cracked black pepper.
-Shred about a third to a half cup rosemary ham (lunch meat) and chiffonade about 7 to 10 basil leaves.
-Put 4 au gratin dishes (ea. about 8" x 5") onto a baking sheet and into these add a pat of butter and about 2 T cream...pop under broiler for about 4 mins until golden and bubbly.
-Now, get the eggs ready: crack 3 eggs per serving into separate dishes...I end up doing 3 each for the lads, 2 for me and 4 for John.
-When the cream mixture is done, quickly add the eggs then sprinkle on the parm mixture and the ham and basil.
-Return to broiler for another 3 minutes or until the eggs are just shy of your preferred consistency (they carryover cook) ... I like 'em yolky, the guys prefer 'em a bit harder so I take mine out a bit sooner.
-Toast the bread and take a deep breath after the mad dash!

I guess I can always count on cheers for this meal during The Call and more when it hits the table. I love 4 clean dishes!