Eggs en cocotte
- Serves: 4
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
For British Egg Week 2011.
Ingredients
100g button mushrooms
100g smoked streaky bacon
100g broad beans
250g fresh spinach
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt
4 large British Lion eggs
For the Mornay Sauce:
60g butter
60g plain flour
1 litre milk
4 gratings of nutmeg
salt and pepper
100g Mull Cheddar, grated
Method
To make the Mornay sauce
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk over a low heat for 2-3 minutes until there are no lumps. Bring the milk to the boil with a little grated nutmeg and pour it over the cooked roux. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring gently. Season, pass through a sieve and stir in the grated cheese.
To prepare the vegetables and bacon
Wipe the mushrooms and cut them into quarters. Cut the bacon into 1cm batons and sauté together with mushrooms for 3 or 4 minutes. Pod the broad beans and blanch them for 1 minute in boiling salted water. Refresh them in a bowl of iced water and then peel off the tough outer skins. Wash the spinach and dry on some paper towels. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan, add the spinach and a pinch of salt, and cook until the spinach is wilted.
Assembling the dish
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. You will need four ovenproof dishes. Place some spinach in each dish and cover with Mornay sauce. Crack an egg on top, sprinkle with broad beans and bacon, and season with salt and pepper. Put the dishes in a baking tin, pour in boiling water to come half way up the sides of the dishes and bake for 8-10 minutes. The egg yolks should still be soft.
To serve