One of the French classics, oeufs en cocotte is the ultimate breakfast food. Creamy, silky, and smooth. It takes little time to make but needs some patience and attention to perfection and is the greatest pleasure to eat. The magic in this dish lies in many little things – the quality of produce. The eggs have to be organic or from someone-you-know’s backyard, the salmon must be wild (it is much less fatty and that makes an incredible difference0, the lemon – organic, the cream extra smooth, and the caviar of the highest grade.
- 8 slices baguette
- 10 g butter, melted
- 80 ml whipping cream
- zest of 1/3 organic lemon, thinly grated
- 1/2 tsp lemon thyme leaves
- 100 g fresh wild salmon, cut into pieces
- 4 large organic eggs
- sea salt to taste
- freshly-ground pepper to taste
- 4 tsp caviar
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Place bread in the oven and toast, or you can do this in a toaster.
Grease 2-4 200 ml ramekins with butter. In a bowl, mix the cream with thyme and lemon zest.
Divide the salmon between the ramekins. Break an egg or into each one and carefully, add the cream by pouring it on the side. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Place the ramekins in a deep ovenproof tray and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the eggs are set but still soft (cooked to your liking). To achieve the perfect set of white and yolk, check after 10 minutes, cooking a little longer as necessary. Place the egg one of the toasts. Serve the other one next to the plate and top with caviar. The toast is a bridge between the warmth of oeufs en cocotte and caviar. If you put the caviar straight on top of the hot dish, it gets warm and loses its taste profile. If you wish, you can serve the caviar in its original jar, placing the toast next to it, and everyone can put as much they desire on their toast.
