Oeufs en Cocotte

Paul Lynch

Adapted from chocolateandzucchini.com.

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 15ml/1 tablespoon of crème fraîche (alternatively sour cream, Boursin or any other fresh soft cheese)
  • fine sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • paprika or the ground spice of your choice

Your choice of:

  • a small slice of ham, cut into strips (alternatively cooked bacon, tuna, tofu…)
  • a handful of diced vegetables (could be tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, onions…)
  • a handful of grated cheese
  • a sprinkle of fresh or dried herbs (parsley, chives, cilantro…)

Directions

If you’ve chosen to include diced vegetables that need to be cooked (this is unnecessary for tomatoes for example), heat up a little oil in a small skillet, and sauté the vegetables until tender.

Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Grease a small ramequin, arrange the ham, vegetables and crème fraîche at the bottom, and break the egg on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you’re using dried herbs, sprinkle them on now. Top with cheese if desired.

Put the ramequin in a gratin dish, and pour hot water in the dish to reach half the height of the ramequin. Put in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs.

Once the eggs are done, sprinkle with paprika and fresh herbs, if using. Serve with crusty bread or warm toast.

NOTES

I add 1 tbs double cream, and top with chives. So just Boursin, cream, eggs, cheese and chives. Make sure that the yolk isn’t touching the side of the ramekin, as it makes them cook too fast.