shirr

present singular third person shirrs · participle present shirring · participle past shirred · past shirred

1. USbusinessTo make gathers in textiles by drawing together parallel threads.
2. UStransitiveTo bake (a raw egg removed from its shell) in a baking dish.

   The Creole eggs arrived in a ramekin, shirred on a bed of Virginia ham julienne and topped with a robust, spicy tomato sauce of Creole derivation.

   1985 April 27, Sue Hyde, “Sunday Brunch with a Harbor View”, in Gay Community News, page 8

   2 more examples

   'Breakfast, please,' said Bond. 'Pineapple juice, double. Cornflakes and cream. Shirred eggs with bacon. Double portion of Café Espresso. Toast and marmalade.'

   1954, Ian Fleming, “True or False?”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 92

   But her favorite way to express their simplicity is to shirr them. It's an old-fashioned technique that essentially means baking an egg. In her version, the eggs in ramekins are simmered in seasoned cream that reduces slightly into a soft sauce.

   2006, Kim Severson, THE CHEF: ANNE QUATRANO; Letting the Land Make a Statement on the Plate, NYTimes, July 6

plural shirrs

1. businessA shirring.