Oeufs en Cocotte (Baked Eggs)

By PineyCook

Ingredients

• butter
• 4 eggs, preferably at room temperature (otherwise, you may need to bake a little longer)
• heavy cream or milk
• fresh herbs, e.g. thyme or sage or chives
• toppings, e.g. prosciutto, crumbled bits of bacon, sauteed mushrooms, etc (optional)
• salt and pepper
• any kind of bread
• 1 garlic clove, cut in half (optional)

Details

Adapted from riceandwheat.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter 4 ramekins well.

Break an egg into each ramekin and add a splash of milk or cream on top. Chop up some fresh herbs and sprinkle over the eggs. Add toppings, if using. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange ramekings on a baking sheet and slide into oven. It will take about 10 min or so for eggs to bake – check every few minutes. You want the whites to set but the yolks should remain soft and runny. If you don’t like runny yolks, bake for longer.

While the eggs are baking, slice and toast the bread, either in a toaster or in a pan on the stove. If you use the stove, you can also brush the bread slices with some olive oil first. When the bread is toasty and hot, rub the cut side of the garlic clove lightly on the bread, if you like garlicky bread.