Oeufs en Cocotte

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Butter the four ramekins. Tip: a fast way to grease ramekins is with the empty wrappers from butter. You can just save those wrappers in your refrigerator. Then, when you need to butter a dish, place a small amount of butter on the wrapper and rub the wrapper in the ramekins. You can reuse the wrappers many times.

Pour half of the cream, 1/4 of a cup, equally into each of the four ramekins.

Chop the ham and divide it equally among the four ramekins (or any other ingredients you are using - see notes below).

Divide the cheese equally into each of the ramekins.

Crack an egg into each ramekin.

Mince the herbs and put them in a bowl, add the remaining half of the cream (1/4 cup), and mix with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Pour the equal amounts of the herb and cream mixture over the egg in in each of the ramekins.

Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet in an oven preheated to 400° for ten to fifteen minutes until the eggs are cooked but the yolk is not hard. 

Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Notes:

There are many versions of this dish.  You can skip the ham, change the cheese and herbs, and use whatever you have on hand. Don’t worry about exact amounts of ham and cheese; the measurements given here are just guidelines. Add what you like. Just don't use too much of any one ingredient; instead, make the dish balanced.

Here are some more ideas:

• Add a sprinkle of Parmesan on top or a drizzle of truffle oil after baking.
• Use little bits of leftovers such as broccoli and asparagus, or add sautéed shallots.

If you don't have ramekins, they are worth the small investment. They're convenient for many recipes for baking and serving, and you can use them as bowls.

Quick dinner prep tips:

• Prepare your ramekins the night before, or in the morning, and store them in the fridge.
• Chop ham, mince herbs, and grate cheese the night before or in the morning.
• With all this done, it can take under 10 minutes to prepare these for dinner.  

Menu idea:

Mixed Greens with Vinaigrette

Oeufs en cocotte with toasted bread

French Fruit Salad