Eggs, French-Style (Cocotte)

READY IN: 25 minutes

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS:

4 Eggs, Large

4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream*

6 Tablespoons Boursin Cheese, crumbled**

2 Teaspoons Chives, fresh***

Salt & Pepper to taste

Butter

Serve with toasted baguette, if desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Using your hands butter 4 (6oz or 8oz) ramekins generously.
3. Crack 1 egg into each of the ramekins.
4. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of heavy cream over each egg, feel free to be a little more generous if you prefer with an extra ½ tablespoon
5. Sprinkle in the crumbles of Boursin cheese equally into each of the ramekins.
6. To top off add in your chopped chives, or other preferred herbs, with salt and pepper to taste. Cover each ramekin loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
7. Trim or fold a paper towel to fit into the bottom of a large baking dish. Place the ramekins on top of the paper towel and fill the dish with hot water, creating a Bain Marie, fill the baking dish up about ½ way up the sides of the ramekins.
8. Carefully place the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or to desired doneness****

NOTE:

*If you’d like to add some ‘heat’ now is the time to do it, simply sprinkle in your desired amount of cayenne or chili powder into your pre-measured cream and stir well to prevent any clumping.

**Most types of cheese work well in this dish, Gruyere, Cheddar, Parmesan….etc.

***Instead of Chives try Thyme, Sage, Rosemary or Tarragon. Some herbs do better if added after the oven stage such as Basil and Cilantro.

****At 15 minutes your eggs will be runny similar to a Sunnyside Up Egg, but when stirred a little the mixture is reminiscent of a delicious custard. If you are nervous about leaving the eggs in the oven for too long you can remove the dish from the oven and allow the ramekins to remain in the hot water bath for another couple of minutes.

*****You can successfully make these in a crockpot as well using ramekins. Pour enough boiling water into your crockpot to create a ½ inch of depth. Put the cover on your slow cooker and set to High, allow to heat for 30 minutes. Place the covered ramekins in the bottom of your crockpot (single layer) and cook on High for about 15 minutes. If you would like them done more you can turn off your crockpot, uncover the ramekins and let the ramekins sit in the hot water an extra minute or two. Check them every 1-2 minutes for desired doneness as they can turn to overdone in a matter of seconds.