via chocolateandzucchini.com

She tells a sweet story of a childhood recipe forgotten...

Until last week, that is, when I bought a package of Boursin -- a soft garlic and herb cheese -- the lid of which offered a simple recipe for oeuf cocotte, baked in the oven. And that's what we had for dinner the other day, to deliciously simple and satisfying results. /blockquote>

Oeuf Cocotte

- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche (alternatively sour cream, Boursin or any other fresh soft cheese)
- salt, pepper, paprika
Optionally :
- a small slice of ham, cut into strips (alternatively cooked bacon, tuna, tofu...)
- a handful of diced vegetables (could be tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, onions...)
- a handful of grated cheese
- a sprinkle of fresh or dried herbs (parsley, chives, cilantro...)

(This serves one, multiply by the number of eaters.)

If you've chosen to include diced vegetables that need to be cooked (this is unnecessary for tomatoes for example), heat up a little oil in a small skillet, and sautee the vegetables until tender.

Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Grease a small ramequin, lay the ham, vegetables and crème fraîche at the bottom, and break the egg on top. Sprinkle salt and pepper. If you're using dried herbs, sprinkle them on now. Top with cheese if you wish.

Put the ramequin in a gratin dish, and pour hot water in the dish to about half the height of the ramequin. Put in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs.

Once the eggs are done, sprinkle paprika and fresh herbs (if you're using them). Serve with warm crusty bread or toasts.

As you can see, this is a pretty versatile recipe. The only things that need to be there are the egg and the crème fraîche or some sort of fresh creamy ingredient. The rest can be added or omitted depending on what you have on hand. And if you have large ramequins and a large appetite, two eggs can be nice too.

Posted by christina at November 16, 2007 09:23 AM