Oeuf Cocotte : Take 2

Admittedly, the picture looks like somebody's idea of a volcanic eruption, but this is really the Oeuf Cocotte I made myself the other night.

This recipe, as described in an earlier post, is a dream of versatility. This time, I made it with strips of ham, a spoonful of sweet confiture d'oignon (onion jam) and a spoonful of crème fraîche, with salt and pepper. As per Jackie's advice, I made sure to pour very hot water around the ramequin, and this shortened the cooking time. When I took my little jewel of a dinner out, the yolk's top half was beginning to harden a little, and this proved very enjoyable.

I ate this along with a tomato (note to self : just because they still sell tomatoes in January doesn't mean you should buy them), dipping organic oatcakes in the egg. Mmmmh.