For Easter in Poland, we eat lots of eggs, boiled mainly, but also with all kind of preparations, in jelly, with mayonnaise, etc. We even have a kind of a game, it’s played with everybody around the table. There is one boiled egg per person, and the plan is to brake you opponent egg. Just keep it firmly in your hand, and hit your “enemy” egg. There is nothing to win whatsoever, it’s just for fun.
1: Chives, chopped – 2: Garlic, crushed – 3: Cherry tomatoes – 4: Organic eggs – 5: Boiled cream + tomato sauce + salt & pepper + harissa- 6: Basil – 7: Ramekins – 8: Lithuanian cured meat “Kindziuk” – 9: Diced cheese like Comté, Gruyère or Gouda (I know, it’s invisible!!!)
Normally, we don’t eat that many eggs with my wife. But I wanted to make eggs cocotte since I bought these special ramekins in Ikea. They might not have great furniture, you can surely find the most easily breakable glasses, but their tableware is quite fancy and ideal for photography…
Making an egg cocotte is up to your inspiration of the moment.
Just few points to take care of.
First, get the best eggs you can. Organic is a must, and at least very fresh is ideal. Always put some cream or any other kind of liquid, like tomato sauce, to keep the eggs moist, capture the flavors and then make the whole dish tasty. Then, put the eggs on top of all liquids, and you can put anything else on top (like foie gras, asparagus, cheese, herbs, etc.).
And last, as these eggs cocotte are cooked in the oven in a bain-marie, place a sheet of parchment paper at the bottom of the dish otherwise the ramekins could move when the water is boiling. And that ain’t so good…
Eggs Cocotte À Table
For 2 people, you will need:
• 4 medium sized eggs – about 70g each
• Chopped chives
• Crushed garlic
• Roughly chopped cherry tomatoes
• Organic eggs
• Boiled cream + tomato sauce + salt & pepper + Harissa
• Basil
• Cured meat, in this case a Lithuanian one, Kindziuk
• Diced cheese, like Comté, Gruyère, Gouda, etc.
Method :
Pour the boiled cream into the ramekins, add in the sliced cured meat, crushed garlic and the roughly chopped cherry tomatoes. Break an egg on every ramekins. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and place the diced cheese on top.
Cook in the oven, in a bain-marie at 170°C for about 6-10 minutes. It will depend on how you like your eggs and on your oven. As far as I like boiled and fried eggs with a creamy-liquid egg yolk, I prefer it to be more cooked when it’s an egg cocotte. The main point is to keep an eye on them. Once you think they are going to be cooked, throw in the herbs and put them back few more seconds in the oven.
One more thing, don’t forget that they are still cooking a little bit more once out…
Now it’s up to you to do them as you want. You can make very posh eggs cocotte with foie gras for example, or a bit simpler, with just some vegetables. It really depends on your taste. It’s just simple food, tasty, really cheap, easy and quick to do…
By the way, don’t forget a salad to serve with… It’s great together.
sounds delicious.. :)