Notes on Life

One of my favourite things is breakfast - big breakfasts. This morning I could indulge in making myself eggs en cocotte (i.e. baked eggs). So simple and yummy.

For the recipe, I combined Nigella Lawson’s use of the bain-marie to bake the eggs evenly, but I liked Gandolfi’s use of cheese.

To make your own eggs en cocotte, you will need:

• 1 ramekin.
• 1 oven proof bowl that would hold the ramekin (for a bain-marie).
• Butter to grease the ramekin.
• 1 or 2 eggs - I used 2.
• Grated cheese - I used Parmesan instead of Gruyere as suggested by Gandolfi.
• 1 tbsp of cream.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Boiling water for the bain-marie.

Method

1. Set the oven to 190 degrees celsius (or 375 Fahrenheit).
2. Grease the ramekin with butter.
3. Optional: if you have crunchy bacon, you can add them at the bottom to add flavour.
4. Break your eggs into the ramekin.
5. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper to the top of the eggs. If you are adding bacon, use less salt.
6. Top the eggs with a generous pinch of cheese.
7. Pour the cream over the top of the eggs.
8. Place the ramekin into the larger bowl, then pour boiling water into the larger bowl until the water level is halfway up the ramekin. Be careful not to spill water into the ramekin. This is your bain-marie.
9. Place the bain-marie into the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, or to your satisfaction, then serve with toast.