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Oeuf en Cocotte (Egg Baked in Ramekin)

Egg en Cocotte

My friend gifted me a set of Julia Child’s cookbooks, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, several years back (she bought it during a book sale in Australia if I did not remember wrongly), but sadly I didn’t have a chance to make anything from the cookbook… until today! Well, like I’ve always said, better late than never, right? (;

I was reading the cookbook a few nights back, tagging the pages with post-sticks of the recipes I want to try – and to be honest, there are simply too many! And I finally decided on a recipe to try today as I have all the ingredients on hand – Oeufs en Cocotte (Eggs Baked in Ramekins).

Egg en Cocotte

The basic recipe documented in the cookbook uses only cream, egg and butter, while offering several variations at the same time. I decided to add a little parsley and ham to spruce things up a little. These are great add-ons as I don’t have to cook them separately and can just add them directly into the cream. If using mushrooms or bacon, they will need to be sautéed first before they can be added into the cream. I made only one serving but it can be doubled or tripled so easily – the only limit is probably the number of ramekins you have.

Cream is added twice – at the start and at the end. The cream at the start formed the base, like a sauce; while the cream (together with the butter) at the end helps prevent the egg from drying out. The egg is also baked in a water bath – which is deemed essential as the water bath acts as a barrier, and helps the egg to cook gently. Without the water bath, the heat of the oven will toughen the outside layer of the egg before the inside is cooked, giving a rubbery and perhaps, unpleasant texture.

Egg en Cocotte

There was a little fear, when I dipped the spoon into the yolk, but I swooned the moment I saw the yolk oozed. I dug further into the ramekin and I found some egg yolk to be a bit more set yet still soft, which is a lovely surprise because that’s exactly how I love my egg yolks to be – some ooze and some set (am I even making sense now?)

The cream and the egg combined into such a creamy and tasty concoction, making the dipping of the toasted bread into the creamy egg such a bliss and joy. I just can’t wait to try out the other recipes in the book!

Step-by-step Photos
creamham
1) Add a little cream to a ramekin.2) Dice some ham or cooked bacon and add to the cream.
parsleyegg
3) A little herbs goes a long way - I used parsley but you can use anything you like. If using dried herbs, a tiny pinch will do.4) Crack an egg - if your ramekin is big / egg is small, crack in another egg if you'd like.
cream againbutter
5) Add in a little bit more cream, just to make things creamier.6) Dot with a little butter for fun.
another dishhot water
7) Place it in another dish for the water bath.8) Pour in hot water and proceed to bake the egg!



Egg en Cocotte
Bake until egg is almost set, season with salt and black pepper and serve with toasted bread.
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Oeuf en Cocotte (Egg Baked in Ramekin)

By Jasline N.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time17 minutes
Servings: 0 Serves 1

INGREDIENTS
 

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/4 slice ham, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh herbs, chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • Dot of butter
  • Hot water
  • 1 to 2 slices of bread
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit). Boil a kettle of hot water.
  • Place 1 tablespoon of cream in a ramekin. Add in the ham and fresh herbs. Crack in the egg, add in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of cream and dot the butter on top.
  • Place the ramekin in a deep oven-proof dish. Pour the hot water into the oven-proof dish until the water comes up halfway of the ramekin. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes if your egg is at room temperature, 10 to 12 minutes if your egg is cold (from the refrigerator), until the egg is set but still wobble slightly.
  • While the egg is baking, toast your bread.
  • Remove the oven-proof dish from the oven and set on a wire rack. Season the egg with salt and black pepper. Let cool for about 3 to 5 minutes so that it is easier to remove the ramekin. Remove the ramekin from the oven-proof dish and serve your egg immediately with the toasted bread.

NOTES

- My egg was straight out from the refridgerator, so I baked for 12 minutes, set the ramekin in the dish for 5 minutes before serving. The egg yolk is oozy with some bits of yolk a bit more set, which is just how I like it. If you want your yolk to be completely oozy, bake for a shorter time.
- Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Volume 1)
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. Mimi Bakery House says

    Hey Jasline, thks for popping by at my blog 😉

    I must be ashamed of myself for making too much sinful food recently. I must watch my diet… On the other hand, these eggs really looked fab.. Make it 5 portion for me pls… I definitely would enjoy them 🙂

    Charmaine

    Reply

    • Jasline N. says

      Hi Charmaine! I wasn’t able to visit a lot of people’s blog until recently (got more time and the blogging mojo back hehe). Haha we all need to indulge once in a while right? Thanks for swinging by my blog too 🙂

      Reply

  7. wei lu says

    Hi, May i check with you if I can sub Milk instead of cream because I cannot stand the cream taste. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Jasline N. says

      Hi Wei Lu, I’ve not tried using milk but I think you can, but use only about 3/4 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon of milk as it’s more liquidy than cream, and try to use full cream milk. The overall dish will also not be as creamy. Let me know how it goes for you and I can include it in my recipe accordingly. 🙂

      Reply

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