I love eggs… like truly love them. My death row meal would be a cheese omelette with a healthy dose of tabasco. If I had my way, I’d be at a diner for every meal. They’re not just for breakfast, the humble egg has nourished the short on time, and short on funds, for generations.
Many chefs agree, there are countless ways to cook an egg. In fact, a traditional French chefs hat (aka a toque) has 100 folds across its perimeter to symbolize the 100 different ways the wearer can prepare an egg. Someone told me that once, so you know it’s true.
We all know the basics: over easy, scrambled, hard boiled, or poached if you’re fancy. Nothing novel there. If you don’t know those four ways to prepare an egg, take this as your sign to enroll in our Culinary Boot Camp class! The comprehensive five-day course will teach you all the egg basics along with so much more.
Today’s recipe focuses on an old school start to the morning, coddled eggs. What is a coddled egg? I’m glad you asked! No, it’s not an egg with overbearing egg parents. It’s a method of gently steaming eggs in a ramekin, often including additional toppings. The result is a delicate, gooey, flavorful egg cooked right in its own serving dish.
Today, coddled eggs don’t get the recognition I wholeheartedly believe they should, but rewind to the mid 20th century, and they were the height of elegance in the breakfast world. In fact, back in the day, you’d see dedicated porcelain coddlers like these ones from the 70’s, pictured below. Shout out to my mom for letting me raid her vintage cookware collection.
For today’s recipe however, we’ll stick to the trusty ramekin. Let’s get crackin'! Sorry, I had to get one pun in.
Bacon and Feta Coddled Eggs
Yield: 2 servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 7 minutes
Total time: 12 minutes
4 eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons heavy cream
~1oz feta
1 strip cooked bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
1. Lightly butter inside of both ramekins.
2. Place ramekins in a medium saucepan. Pour in enough water to cover three-fourths of the ramekin. Remove the ramekins and bring the water to a boil over medium heat.
3. Divide cream evenly between ramekins and add 2 eggs to each.
4. Top with bacon, feta, salt and pepper.
5. When water is boiling, carefully lower the ramekins into the water.
6. Cover and reduce heat to medium, cook until the whites are set and yolk is still soft, about 8-9 minutes.
7. Using tongs, carefully remove the ramekins.
8. Top with thyme and serve.
In addition to Culinary Boot Camp, you can get extra egg know-how in all of these upcoming classes:
- Tasting Table Demo with Chef Neal on Tuesday, January 27 at 6pm featuring Custard with farm egg, maple, lemon, mint
- Hands-On Mediterranean Boot Camp on Friday, January 30 or Saturday, February 21 at 10am featuring Shakshuka with Herbed Garlic Flatbread (Middle Eastern)
- Hands-On Bubbly Brunch on Saturday, February 14 at 11am featuring Frittata with Sautéed Mushrooms, Kale and Gruyere Cheese
- Hands-On Ramen Workshop on Monday, February 23 at 6pm featuring Ramen Noodles in Miso-Soy Broth with Chashu (Soy and Sake) Pork, Carrots, Bok Choy and Egg
