From the blog For Love of the Table
1 c. thinly sliced spring onions (use roughly equal quantities of white and green)
1 to 2 T. thinly sliced green garlic (optional)
1 T. unsalted butter
6 T. Heavy cream
4 large eggs (room temperature)
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Butter 4 4 oz. ramekins or custard cups. Line a roasting pan with a kitchen towel or a double thickness of paper towels and place the custard cups in the roasting pan. Set aside.
In a medium-sized sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the spring onions and green garlic and toss to coat in the butter. Add a pinch of salt, cover and cook over low heat until the onions are wilted and tender. If they release a lot of liquid as they cook, uncover during the last few moments of cooking to allow the liquid to evaporate. Set aside briefly to cool. (The onions may be cooked ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.)
Divide the onion mixture among the buttered ramekins. Spread the mixture out, mounding it up a bit around the edges—you are making a "nest" for the egg that will help center the yolk. Drizzle 1/2 T. of cream into each ramekin. One at a time, crack eggs into a small bowl and then transfer the egg to a ramekin, centering the yolk as much as possible as you do. Carefully pour a tablespoon of cream over each egg. Sprinkle each sparingly with salt.
Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes up to the same level as the eggs in the ramekins. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until the white is opaque and just barely set—the yolk should still be liquid—another 2 to 4 minutes. (If you like, you make carefully insert an instant read thermometer into the white right next to the yolk—be careful not to pierce the yolk. (The temperature should read somewhere between 155° and 160° for jiggly white and liquid yolk.) Remove the pan from the oven. The eggs will hold in their hot water bath for a few minutes. If you know you will need to hold them, undercook them slightly as they will continue to cook as they sit. They should be served as soon as possible. Sprinkle each with a bit of freshly ground black pepper and serve with buttered toast.
Serves 4
Notes & Variations:
You will probably have to experiment with baking times in your oven. I have given what works in my oven. Classically, oeufs en cocotte are baked uncovered, but this produces a hard surface and an undercooked white in my oven. You will find some sources that recommend as little as 7 minutes baking time (Julia Child). The initial temperature of your eggs will also make a difference—if your eggs are refrigerator cold, consider allowing them to sit in a bowl of hot tap water for a few minutes before cracking them into the saucers.
If you like, sprinkle a bit of finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino over the egg before baking.
The onions may be omitted for the simplest of baked eggs.
Replace the onions with the same quantity of thinly sliced leek—one leek should yield a cup of thinly sliced leeks.
Instead of onions, any finely cut, cooked vegetable may be used—diced sautéed mushrooms, a spoonful of ratatouille, minced braised artichokes, a few cooked fresh peas, etc.
You may bake as many or as few ramekins at one time as you like (a French-style baked egg makes a wonderful lunch for one!). Simply adjust the size of the pan that you use for your hot water bath accordingly. For a baked egg for one, you could use a small oven-proof sauté pan or a metal pie pan. For two or three, a medium-sized sauté pan works well. Etc.
http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2018/06/french-style-baked-eggs-oeufs-en.html
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