French Cuisine: Easy Easter Oeufs Cocotte

When we think of Easter eggs we tend to think of chocolate eggs. This recipe for Oeufs cocotte, is thus a slightly different take on an Easter egg. This is a traditional French dish that is very simple to make and can of course be eaten at any time of year, but is a perfect accompaniment to this spring celebration.

Ingredients

  • 4 shallots
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 slices of ham
  • Crème fraîche

Method

Finely chop the shallots.
Melt a lump of butter in a frying pan. Add the shallots and cook them gently on a low heat until softened.
Cut the slices of ham into small cubes.
Once cooked and soft, place the shallots into the bottom of 4 ramequins then add the dices of ham.
On top of this add in 2 soup spoons of creme fraiche and finish by cracking an egg over the top of the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Then place the ramekins into the oven until the egg whites whiten!

Voilà you have a traditional French dish perfectly themed for the Easter weekend… Oeufs cocotte.

This is a very simple recipe which you can experiment with. You can change any of the toppings for example why not try replacing the ham with a bit of smoked salmon instead or add any kind of herbs to bring a different flavour? Additionally you can serve this with any accompaniment, something particularly fitting for this spring could be to serve it with asparagus that are newly coming into season.

This dish goes perfectly served with a crusty baguette on the side of which you can dip into this eggy dream.

 

Enjoy!