Whatever your culinary passion, I guarantee there's a blog about it.

Fruitcake? Yes.

Coffee? Very popular.

Critiques of burrito joints nationwide? Yes.

Really. Someone has dedicated his spare time to this.

I recently came across a blog dedicated to Ina Garten, the Food Network goddess, aka the Barefoot Contessa. It's written by several foodies who call themselves the Barefoot Bloggers.

With a self-professed love for all things Ina, these bloggers pledge to make an Ina recipe every other week, then post a paragraph or two about what they think of it.

Sound familiar?

They've tested all kinds of dishes, like arugula pizza and a chocolate birthday cake that looks to die for. One of the first recipes they tried is Ina's herb-baked eggs.

This recipe is famous, at least among foodies. About a dozen people have suggested it to me over the years. I've always wanted to try it but never had a suitable occasion. It's not exactly something you serve at a Girl Scout meeting or a 7-year-old's birthday party.

So, I picked it for this week's recipe. Shopping was easy, except I forgot the eggs and cream, which is pretty much what the dish is made of. My husband had to run back to the store.

The good thing about this and most Ina recipes is that everything is available at any grocery store. There's no driving across town for specialty items.

The herbs — I used thyme, rosemary and basil — came from my garden. The gratin dishes were my husband's before we got married. (Why would a single guy have gratin dishes?)

Preparation was a breeze, but I was a little worried about the final product. I kept opening the oven and poking the eggs with a knife, trying to see if the whites were cooked, if the yolks were runny, and vice versa.

Finally, it was time to dig in. I was surprised — in a good way. The whites of the eggs were barely firm, and the yolks were quite runny. Just the way I like them.

The cream added a silky texture. And the crunch of the cheesy-herb topping? Perfection.

I loved the dish.

Some testers had a problem with the way their eggs cooked. Runny whites and burnt topping were common.

The only thing I can think of is that eggs are intensely personal — everyone likes their eggs cooked to a slightly different doneness. If well-cooked eggs are your thing, you could always bake the dish after broiling as directed.

Also, differences among broilers could account for the overly toasty topping.

But mine worked out fine. I'm so happy about the way it turned out, I might just create an egg blog ... or an herb blog ... or a crunchy-Parmesan topping blog.

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's "Barefoot in Paris."

HERBED-BAKED EGGS

• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan

• 6 extra-large eggs

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Toasted french bread or brioche, for serving

Preheat the broiler for five minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.

Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley and parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack three eggs into each of two small bowls or teacups (you won't be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It's very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)

Place two individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about three minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly but carefully, pour three eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for five to six minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren't cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread before serving.

Makes 2 servings.

• Per serving: 370 calories, 29 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 775 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 23 g protein

To check out the Barefoot Bloggers, visit http://barefootbloggers.wordpress.com.