Eggs en Cocotte, also known as shirred eggs, are an easy way to cook eggs for breakfast or brunch. Add some spinach and bacon, and you've got yourself a nice little meal, with so little effort.
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Why does March have to be so cold? I feel like there should just be a switch, and when the calendar says March 1, it should just automatically be warmer. At least the days are getting a little longer, so I'm not doing my entire 5:30am morning meditation, workout, and yoga routine in the dark!
Maybe some sunny eggs will brighten things up? I'm always looking for new ideas for simple recipes for weekend brunch, and this idea for eggs en cocotte came from Rachel Khoo from her show, "Little Paris Kitchen." Have you seen that show? I love it. She does so many things with just a little burner and a small, countertop oven! Goals!
This is a great brunch recipe for when you are feeling so LAZY. It's really easy, but it seems so fancy!
What are eggs en cocotte?
It's a simple, classic French recipe - a cocotte means any kind of small, heat-proof dish that you can use to cook and serve individual portions. The trick is to cook it in a water bath, and to just keep an eye on it depending upon how done you like your egg yolks.
I do my eggs en cocotte in the oven, but Jacques Pépin does his oeufs en cocotte in a covered deep skillet on the stove top. More goals! I am reading his book, The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, right now - for the third time. I highly recommend it. He has an incredibly interesting life and I can hear his voice in my head when I read it. I love that.
This recipe is easy to customize to whatever you have in the fridge - leftover veggies like mushrooms or peppers, most any kind of cheese, herbs, etc., and that also makes it a good option for breakfast for dinner. I like the spinach here because I always have some around, and it adds nice green to the dish, no matter what time of year.
More egg recipes:
- Piperade
- Baked Eggs in Avocados with Chorizo and Queso Fresco
- Chilaquiles Verdes with Fried Eggs and Chorizo
How to make eggs en cocotte:
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease ramekins/cooking dishes with butter or olive oil.
Cook bacon according to your desired method. I prefer the microwave for this dish. So easy. No mess.
In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter or add olive oil and quickly wilt spinach. Distribute the spinach evenly among ramekins or serving dishes.
Add 4 tablespoons of heavy cream to each dish. I love to make this in my Lodge cast iron mini-servers or my Lodge cast iron mini-skillets.
Make a small indent in the spinach and nestle the eggs into them. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the serving dishes onto a sheet pan or into a casserole dish and place in the oven. Carefully pour hot water into the sheet pan so each dish has water ⅓ to halfway up the sides of the dish. This ensures gentle cooking.
Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until eggs are just set, or longer if you prefer your egg yolks more done in the center. I like mine sunny and runny!
Crumble the bacon and distribute evenly over each dish. Serve immediately.
More brunch recipes:
- Piperade
- Baked Eggs in Avocados with Chorizo and Queso Fresco
- Chilaquiles Verdes with Fried Eggs and Chorizo
Eggs en Cocotte with Spinach and Bacon
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 6 oz baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 8 slices bacon
- 16 tablespoon heavy cream
- kosher salt
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease the cooking dishes with butter or olive oil.
- Cook bacon as desired, set aside. I prefer the microwave for this. So easy. No mess.
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter or add olive oil. Sauté spinach until just wilted. Distribute evenly among cooking/serving dishes.
- Add 4 tablespoon heavy cream to each dish.
- Create a small well in the spinach, and crack two eggs into each container. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook in a water bath: Place cooking/serving dishes on a baking pan and place it in the oven. Carefully add hot water to the pan so it goes ⅓ to ½ way up the sides of the cooking dishes.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are done to your liking. Remove from oven, crumble bacon on top. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- This recipe assumes that your cooking vessels will hold two eggs easily. Just cut ingredients in half if using a smaller container and only cooking one egg in each.
- I like to use my Lodge cast iron mini servers or my Lodge cast iron mini skillets for this recipe because the presentation is so cute!!
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