These oeufs en cocotte – or in normal English: oven-baked eggs – are one of my favorite dishes from my first cookbook ‘All-day breakfast’. I think they are pretty perfect as a festive (Christmas) breakfast, because you can easily prepare the fillings in advance, everyone loves them and those little egg pots always look lovely.
Another good thing is that you can easily vary with the fillings for these oven-baked eggs. Think: soft leeks with prosciutto, mushrooms and truffle or baby tomatoes and goat cheese. This version with smoked salmon and spinach is my personal favorite.
INGREDIENTS
for 4 persons
olive oil
3.5 oz (100 g) spinach leaves
lemon juice
2 oz (60 g) smoked salmon
4 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
4 fresh eggs
extra: 4 ramekins or ovenproof dishes, greased + large baking tray/roasting pan
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 360F (180C).
Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and stir-fry the spinach until wilted. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper and divide over the dishes.
Cut the salmon into small pieces and mix with the crème fraîche and chives. Place a spoonful of salmon cream in every dish.
Carefully break an egg above each dish and make sure to keep the egg yolk intact. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper and place them in the roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water in the pan until halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolks still runny. If you prefer hard-cooked eggs, just leave them in 5 minutes longer.
Tip: just replace the salmon by a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese for a vegetarian version.
