Ingredients
Method
Oven & Water Bath Setup
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Lightly grease a 12-cup silicone muffin pan with olive oil or butter spray and place it inside a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan.
- Fill a kettle with water and bring to a gentle simmer. This warm water will create the steam bath that produces that velvety sous-vide consistency.
Blend the Velvety Custard
- In a high-speed blender, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, heavy cream, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Blend on high speed for 30 to 45 seconds until the mixture is completely emulsified, silky smooth, and frothy with micro-bubbles. Blending breaks down the cottage cheese curds completely into liquid gold!
Assemble & Steam Bake
- Divide half of the shredded Gruyere, all of the white cheddar, and the snipped chives and thyme among the 12 muffin cups.
- Pour the blended egg batter evenly over the cheeses into each cup, filling them about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the remaining Gruyere cheese over the tops.
- Carefully pour the hot water into the outer roasting pan around the muffin cups until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the muffin wells.
- Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 25 to 28 minutes until the egg bites are puffed, golden on top, and the centers are set with just a slight custardy jiggle.
Cool & Unmold
- Remove the muffin pan from the water bath and place on a wire rack. Let cool for 5 minutes (they will naturally settle and firm up).
- Gently press on the bottom of each silicone well to pop the egg bites out effortlessly onto a serving platter. Garnish with fresh chives and serve warm!