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Have you ever made or tried baked eggs en cocotte? Also known as shirred eggs or oven poached eggs, this tasty treat with prosciutto and mushrooms is perfect for breakfast or brunch. It’s easy to make baked eggs in ramekins and this is a filling breakfast that will keep you satisfied until lunchtime.
Baked eggs en cocotte are traditionally French. They’re great served with strips of toast for dipping in the yolks. So if you love eggs but want to make something new and different, you can’t go wrong with tasty shirred eggs.
If you’re a fan of delicious egg dishes, you might also enjoy sheet pan eggs or eggs benedict. This crockpot carrot cake oatmeal is also really good for breakfast.
Oven Poached Eggs Ingredients
As well as the eggs you will need shallot, prosciutto and mushrooms for hearty flavours. Thyme, cream, goat cheese, butter, and oil also feature in baked eggs en cocotte.
You can vary the ingredients if you wish. Any kind of onion can be used in place of the shallot, while bacon or ham is as good as the prosciutto. Other ingredients that would go with baked eggs in ramekins include spinach, chives or even some cooked chicken or shrimp. Chives are also great as a garnish or you could use green onions to garnish the dish.
You can use any kind of cheese you want, although I have a special fondness for goat cheese. Gruyere, feta, parmesan, cheddar, or emmentaler would be nice.
How to Make Baked Eggs en Cocotte
Fry the prosciutto until translucent and then set it aside. Melt some butter in the same skillet then sauté the shallots and then the mushrooms. Add extra butter or oil while cooking if needed.
Stir in the thyme and then add the prosciutto back into the pan. Season well.
Now you can brush ramekins with melted butter and then divide the prosciutto mixture between them. Crack an egg into each ramekin, taking care not to break the yolk.
Add some cream on top and then the goat cheese and finally some salt and black pepper. Arrange the ramekins on a baking pan and cook until the egg yolks are done to your liking. Anywhere between 14 minutes (very runny yolks) to 22 minutes (nearly set yolks) will work.
Some people prefer their baked eggs in ramekins with a runny yolk, which is fine as long as the egg white is set. Others prefer the yolk a little more done, so just use your judgment when making these. The prosciutto and mushrooms and other ingredients are already cooked, so just go by what the eggs are looking like.
Shirred eggs are delicious garnished with chives and/or green onions as well as toast or bread slices for dipping in the yolk.
Some Variations
As well as varying the prosciutto and mushrooms or other add-ins, you might like to add breadcrumbs on top. Some shirred eggs recipes feature a crumb topping.
Others include a heartier protein option such as doubling up on the prosciutto or adding anything from shrimp or crab to chicken or duck. The more you put in there and the more filling you make it, the better it would work as a lunch or dinner option. This eggs en cocotte recipe is very versatile and a great option instead of regular poached eggs.
FAQs about Baked Eggs en Cocotte
I find baked eggs in ramekins easier to make than some other egg dishes. You don’t need omelette-folding precision for example. Everyone has their own preference for oven poached eggs doneness.
You will be able to see at a glance when they are done to your liking. The shortest baking time for oven poached eggs would be 14 to 15 minutes. The egg whites should be firm and set while the yolk is still runny. If you prefer them more done, just give them a few minutes and then check again.
As long as the egg yolks are still a bit runny at least, you will be able to dip the toast strips in there.
As you’d imagine, shirred eggs, along with most other egg dishes, are best served fresh and as soon as they’re cooked. However, leftovers will be fine in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and you can microwave them at 50% power to warm them back up again or else warm them up in the oven.
Baked Eggs en Cocotte with Prosciutto and Mushrooms Recipe
Baked Eggs en Cocotte with Prosciutto and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, large, at room temperature
- 1 Cup mushrooms, cremini, thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, medium, minced
- 3 Slices prosciutto, rolled up, thinly sliced
- 1/2 Tablespoons thyme, fresh, leaves separated from stems
- 4 Tablespoons heavy cream, or whipping
- 2/3 Cup goat cheese, unripened crumbled
- 2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Fry prosciutto until the fat is rendered, the slices turn translucent, and the edges are slightly crispy. Place on a plate and set aside .
- In the same frying pan, melt butter on low-medium heat.
- Once butter is melted and hot, add shallots and sauté until wilted and translucent.
- Add mushrooms and sauté until they turn brown.Add more olive oil or butter if pan looks dry.
- When mushrooms are brown, add thyme and mix well, continuously sautéing until the moisture from the mushrooms have evaporated and they have shrunk in size.
- Add prosciutto back into the pan and mix well. Season with black pepper (see below for notes).
- Take pan off the heat and set aside .
To assemble
- Brush the bottom and sides of the ramekins with softened/melted butter.
- Spoon mushroom and prosciutto mixture equally into each ramekin to cover the bottom.
- Crack one egg into each ramekin (or two eggs per large ramekin), careful to not break the yolk.
- Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream on top of each egg.
- Divide the crumbled goat cheese equally amongst the ramekins.
- Season with a pinch of coarse salt and black pepper.
- Place the ramekins in a deep baking dish or roasting pan, and carefully pour boiling water to 1” deep or about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Place baking dish/roasting pan in the oven,lower rack , Bake for 14 to 22 minutes until egg whites are set and egg yolks are cooked to your liking (see below for notes).
- Serve immediately with chopped green onions.
Notes
- Other types of meat would work nicely in this recipe as well, so feel free to replace prosciutto with bacon, pancetta, sausage, or any deli/cured meat you have on hand
- Goat cheese pairs beautifully with mushrooms, but it can be swapped with any other cheese of your choice. Feta, parmesan, or gruyere would work as well
- Prosciutto and cheese add saltiness to the dish, so season with salt sparingly
- For a more runny egg yolk, bake closer to 14 to 15 minutes, and for yolk that is more set but still soft, bake closer to 20 to 22 minutes. Cooking time also depends on your oven, so watch your eggs closely as they bake.
Nutrition
Baked eggs en cocotte with prosciutto and mushrooms make an elegant breakfast. They might look fancy but oven poached eggs are really simple to make and nearly impossible to get wrong!
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
This was a flavor explosion. Absolutely amazing!
This was perfection! I have found myself a new breakfast fave 🙂
Yes! This recipe did not disappoint.
I have never tried with proscuitto. Will try tomorrow