April 1, 2009

Ouefs en Cocotte or Eggs Baked in Ramekins

Ouefs en Cocotte 2Align Center

Oeufs en Cocotte. Such a fancy name for such a simple dish. I can't even begin to pronounce it, so when my family asked what I was making, I simply said "eggs baked in ramekins" as that it is precisely what they are. Ouefs is the French word for eggs, and Cocotte for ramekin.

I have a fondness for eggs, especially the small farm-fresh organic eggs delivered by our friendly organic farmer every other week. They're smaller, the yolks are bright orange, and they have a fresher and richer taste. Once you've had your first organic egg, you are spoiled for life.

My inspiration to make eggs baked in ramekins came about while reading Julie & Julia. While I am known to possess delusions of grandeur from time to time, I have no aspirations of trying some of what are, in my opinion, insanely tedious recipes found in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Having said that, there are many that are defintely doable and that I would love to try my hand at someday.

But this, well this was just so simple! And so perfect for a quick breakfast or brunch meal. I love me some weekend brunch! I decided to make three variatons. One ramekin for the classic recipe, another with sauteed mushrooms, and because I had some smoked wild Sockeye salmon ( a lovely gift from a friend in Vancouver), I made one with that too. They all turned out marvelously, and I couldn't pick a favorite! We all had a taste, mopping up the last of the remaining dregs with our bread and we couldn't get enough of it. I wish I had made more.

Ouefs en Cocotte

Classic Oeufs en Cocotte

1 egg
1 Tbsp cream
a knob of butter
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 C.

Grease your ramekin with some olive oil or butter. Carefully crack one egg into the ramekin. Top with a little cream, a knob of butter, then season with salt and pepper.

Place the ramekin/s in a baking or roasting tin and pour hot water around it until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 8-10 minutes if , like me, you like it runny. About 2-3 minutes more if you prefer the eggs to set. Remember though that the egg continues to cook inside the ramekin even after you remove it from the oven.

Let is rest for a couple of minutes and serve with your favorite bread.

For the Oeufs en Cocotte with Salmon; I chopped up some smoked salmon, mixed it with chopped leeks, and placed it at the bottom of the ramekin then layered everything else on top.

And voila, that's it!

You may experiment and create your own variations. Just do some layering, placing the heavier ingredients like meats on the bottom and the herbs such as chives or leeks on top of the egg. I'd like to try it next time with bacon or ham, chorizo, and spinach.

The breadcrumb topping here looks like a fantastic idea, too!

15 comments:

Unknown said...

I love this. Welcome back to food posting, my dear! I did something like this a few years ago. Maybe its time to do it again! It would probably be good for an elegant Easter Day breakfast. Hmmmmm... That's an idea!

Anne said...

my youngest son loves eggs and this is one good alternative in preparing it for him (",)

Socky said...

Simple, simple, simple - which is how i love my food. Why didn't i think of this for breakfast, instead of my usual omelet? Thanks for this idea, nena! And welcome back!

ChichaJo said...

Love eggs this way! Especially with Shino's eggs :) Is this the farm fresh eggs you speak off? :) I think this will be my breakfast tomorrow!

Love the pink ramekins!

Watergirl said...

Eggs, cream, what's not to love? Plus pink pots!

christine said...

Thanks, Mieke! Nice to be back. :) Having these for Easter Sunday is perfect! Happy Easter to you and the fam! :)

Hi Anne! It is a good alternative and I'm sure he'd love it.

Socky, same here. My favorite dishes are those that are simple, delicious and healthy! :)

Yup, Jo, Shino's eggs. :)

Yes, cute pink pots! Haha. Of course, I had to use the pink one for the salmon so I'd remember which it was in. :)

Loralie Perez-MIranda said...

I came across your blog by accident, and I wanted to let you know I found your entries intersting. Keep Blogging!

Midge said...

I'd love to make this recipe for Easter!

christine said...

Hi Loralie, thank you for the nice comment! I'm really happy you're enjoying it. :)

Midge, that's a great idea! :)

Happy Easter to you both!

Vietnam Hotel Travel said...

It looks delicious already!

Anonymous said...

350 C? is that not a bit high?

christine said...

That temp works just fine for me, but you can lower it and let it cook a little longer if you like. :)

stella the teacher said...

This seems so simple. I wonder if this can be done with an over toaster, anyway i'll try.

ben writes php scripts said...

I'm gonna try this. The photo looks yummy!

shopping cart said...

i love eggs! my mouth is watering.