Ham and Eggs en Cocotte

We are quite familiar with the drill: meteorologists hype the storm for days, everyone heads out to the store for bread and milk, all is quiet during the storm, and then the cleanup begins. What's our favorite part? The quiet. We are encouraged to stay home. We are specifically asked not to be on the roads. You don't have to ask us twice. We are all too happy to cook, eat, binge-watch, repeat. Let it snow! 

We started with Saturday brunch. The air smelled of snow, but there wasn't a flake in sight...yet. No matter. We planned to be in for the day. We took some leftover ham, potatoes and asparagus and transformed them into a beautiful brunch plate Ham and Eggs en Cocotte with homefries and asparagus.

Eggs en Cocotte are named after the individual serving dish in which they are made. We make ours in ramekins, although those gorgeous little Le Creuset and Staub versions are definitely on our wish list. And Eggs en Ramekins just doesn't sound as nice, does it?

It's not the ingredients that matter here, rather, it's the technique. The possibilities are endless. Place your choice of ingredients at the bottom of the cocotte dish, making a little nest for your eggs, which you gently lay on top. Top with cheese or herbs if you like, and bake for 15-18 minutes at 325F, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are runny (bake longer if you like a harder yolk). Make sure to serve them with something to dip into them - toast is a good choice, but so is asparagus spears.

Ham and Eggs en Cocotte

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup diced cooked ham

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 onion, diced

4 eggs

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Divide the ham between two cocotte dishes/ramekins, then set them aside. In a small skillet, heat the butter and cook the onions until translucent and slightly caramelized (5-7 minutes). Divide the cooked onions between the two dishes. Gently break two eggs into each dish on top of the ham and onions. Top with cheese and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 325 for 15-18 minutes, until the whites are set, then serve.