Parmesan-Herbed Eggs en Cocotte is one of my favorite simple weekend breakfast trreats It’s quick, easy, and elegant. En cocotte simply means that it’s cooked in a baking dish—in this case a 3-inch ramekin.
Butter your ramekins, and place some minced fresh herbs in the bottom of each one. I like to use a combination of thyme and oregano, but you can substitute whichever herbs suit you.
Next whisk some heavy cream, just until it begins to thicken. It’s still quite liquid—you’re not going for whipped cream. To the cream, grind a little fresh pepper and whisk in some Parmesan cheese.
Beat the cheese into the heavy cream.
Spoon two-thirds of this mixture into your ramekins over the minced herbs.
Place the cheese-cream mixture in the bottom over the herbs.
Gently break a large egg onto the Parmesan-cream mixture in each ramekin.
Break an egg into each ramekin.
Top the eggs with the remaining Parmesan-cream mixture making certain that the eggs are completely covered. Then sprinkle the tops with a little more Parmesan and the remaining minced herbs.
Top the eggs with more cheese mixture, herbs, and Parmesan.
Cooking Parmesan-Herbed Eggs en Cocotte is the trickiest part of this recipe. You want the whites of the egg to be set, while the yolks remain liquid. Then you want a nice browness to the topping.
Over the years, I have found that this method is all but foolproof. Carefully place the ramekins into a pan of simmering water. This is called a bain marie. Then tightly cover the pan with aluminum foil. Place in the middle of a 375-degree oven for 8-9 minutes. Remove the foil and check to see that the white is nearly set and the yolk still runny. Though the next step is optional, I find it adds to the appearance and texture of dish. Place it under a low-broiler about 6-inches from the flame, just for a minute or two until the top is lightly browned.
I use no additional salt in the dish because I feel the Parmesan is salty enough, but you may prefer a little salt on the eggs.
Serve the Parmesan-Herbed Eggs en Cocotte with lots of hot, crusty French bread.
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