The simple pleasures – Oeufs en cocotte

If you can’t answer the big questions, if it seams like nothing’s really moving forward – concentrate on the small things, the simple pleasures. Break out of stagnation and routine on a small scale …. that’s my resolution these days.

These oeufs en cocotte – the very name makes them special – are such a small pleasure. They are the sophisticated version of your standard sunday breakfast eggs, without requiring much more preparation time.

With fresh spinach and cress from the farmers market, eggs that obviously make you think about easter, these baked eggs (of course they would make a great addition to an easter breakfast or brunch) also bring the first gentle signs of spring right onto our breakfast table (on the meteorolocial beginning of spring today). I can’t wait for more!

Oeufs en cocotte (2p.)

ingredients
2 fresh eggs, butter, 60 g fresh spinach (about a handful), 2 teaspoons crumbled feta cheese, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, optional: cress for serving

1-2 slices toasted bread

preparation
Preheat oven to 180°C. Butter two ramekins. Heat some butter in a small pan and quickly sauté the spinach until wilted. Drain off excess liquid and roughly chop. Season with some salt, pepper and nutmeg and fill into the prepared ramekins. Add crumbled feta cheese.  Crack one egg into each of the ramekins and finally add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to each ramekin. Place ramekins into a casserole and pour boiling water into the casserole until it’s halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the egg whites are set and the yolk is still soft. Optionally top with cress and serve immediately with fingers of toasted bread.