Recipes
Bistro Eggs|Weston Table

Breakfast

Bistro Eggs
This is French comfort food made from simple ingredients found year-round in nearly every home kitchen pantry and refrigerator. Every bistro in France has at least one egg offering on its menu and 'oeufs en cocotte' is a favorite—easy to source, inexpensive, and satisfying. The heart of bistro cooking is in its simple, no-fuss rustic approach. It is French soul food prepared with everyday ingredients. However, in true French fashion, the technique and presentation make it look just a wee bit fancy. It takes longer to preheat the oven than it does to prepare and cook this dish. The eggs are dropped into heated cocottes that have just barely bubbling cream and butter in them and then popped in the oven to set the whites and cook the yolks to a creamy, yet perfectly breakable stream of goodness in which to dip torn pieces of sourdough toast. Breakfast, lunch, brunch, or a weeknight dinner that pleases nearly everyone, these bistro eggs have a je-ne-sais-quoi wow factor.
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cuisine French
difficulty Easy
season Year Round
serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided into 4 pieces
  • 4 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 8 free range eggs
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Fresh herbs, minced
  • 4 slices bread, toasted and buttered

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Place 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon heavy cream in each .25 quart cocotte or ramekin.
  3. Place the cocottes on a quarter sheet baking pan and put in the oven. After about 1 to 2 minutes, the heavy cream should be just about the bubble and the butter melted.
  4. Remove the cocottes from the oven and drop two eggs into each cocotte along with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
  5. Place the cocottes back in the oven for 3 to 6 minutes depending on how you like your eggs cooked. For fully cooked whites with a soft yolk for breaking and a bit of cream floating, err on the lower cooking side (after the eggs have been made a few times, it is easy to settle on timing for eggs cooked to your liking). Eggs may be put back in the oven, if needed, with no dire consequences.
  6. Remove the eggs from the oven and sprinkle with the herbs. Serve immediately (the cocottes are hot and will continue cooking the eggs the longer they sit) with buttered toast for dipping into the soft cream and yolks.

Kitchen Notes

This recipe has simple ingredients and it is important to use the highest quality eggs available, fresh from the nearest farmer's market are best—the egg yolks will be a gorgeous, almost orange color. We love the tanginess of sourdough toast with these creamy, herb-spiked eggs. Whatever vessel you choose to bake the eggs in, be certain it is oven-safe.
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