There are moments I’m impressed by myself 😁. Today there was an amazing confluence of great ingredients in the house (thanks E for the ducks eggs and the anchovies in truffle oil!). And somehow, perhaps because I had been watching Chopped over the weekend, the inspiration to do something creative with my ingredients was strong. One of the cookbooks I really like is Matt Bittman’s “Simple to Spectacular” where he gives recipes centered around a very simple dish and then steps up the spectacular by adding ingredients or modifications on the cooking method. So in the same principle where I took a simple base recipe of baked eggs, I used a bunch of luxe ingredients which pushed the flavor profile to a level that truly surprised me.
Ducks eggs, I’ve realized, have an earthier and gamier flavor than chicken eggs. And to add to the moreish appeal, prosciutto and truffle oil add an astronomical amp to a simple baked eggs dish. Baked eggs can be as simple as a little creme fraiche and salt and pepper, but this is truly the flavor-bomb version as the base of the ramekins are lined with a mushroom and Proscuitto ham creamy mixture and the duck egg topped off by bits of crispy Proscuitto ham, and anchovy and truffle oil. Short of sounding self-congratulatory, I have to report that one of my friends said that this was the best dish she had ever tasted coming out of my kitchen (little dance of joy!). Dang, now it means I have to have a constant supply of duck eggs in the house…
Duck Eggs En Cocotte with Proscuitto
Ingredients
- 5 ducks eggs (use large chicken eggs as substitute)
- 4-5 Cremini mushrooms, cut into small cubes
- 1/4 onion, finely minced
- 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
- 5 slices of Proscuitto cut into thin strips
- 5 anchovies (optional)
- 1 tsp truffle oil (optional)
- 1 tbsp sherry
- 4 tbsp cream
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 deg C
- Heat up the olive oil in a skillet over medium to high heat, then sauté the Proscuitto for about 3 minutes until slightly browned. Remove half of the Proscuitto and set aside. Continue sautéing the remaining Proscuitto until browned and crispy. Remove and set aside
- Add garlic and onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and sauté till slightly soft. Add the Proscuitto (the less crispy half) to the pan and mix well. Add 1/2 tbsp coriander to the mushroom mixture.
- Add the sherry, the let the alcohol cook off. Add 2 tbsp cream, salt and pepper and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Divide the mushroom mixture into the base of 5 ramekins.
- Crack a duck egg into each ramekin.
- Mix salt, pepper into the remaining cream. Spoon about 1/2 tsp over each ramekin.
- Distribute the remaining crispy Proscuitto over the top of the egg.
- Carefully place an anchovy over each egg yolk. Drizzle truffle oil over the top of each ramekin.
- Place the ramekins into a baking dish and fill the dish with water until halfway up the side of the ramekins.
- Bake for 12 minutes in the oven (yolks will be just runny). Remove the tray from the oven and carefully lift each ramekin out of the water-filled baking dish.
- Top each ramekin off with some chopped coriander. Serve hot. The baked eggs can be eaten on their own or with some low carb crackers or bread.
Still Feeling Peckish 
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