SNAZZY! French “Baked” Eggs
This French classic is usually an egg, in a ramekin baked in the oven for 15 minutes but it only takes 4 minutes in your pressure cooker!
The French tradition of en Cococotte says that you can use either cream or cheese with these little delicacies. I took some liberties with the ingredients to show you how flexible this recipe can be. Have fun with the flavors and combinations or follow the French tradition and make this with Ham, Gruyere cheese or Creme Fraiche and a sprinkle of Chives in the end.You are only limited by your imagination, here are a few I thought up with the ingredients I had on-hand, plus the classic at the end.
- Caprese - Sliced Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, garnish with fresh tomato, basil leaf and toasted pine nuts.
- Tyrolese - Speck (smoked Prosciutto), Gorgonzola cheese, garnish with black pepper and fresh Thyme
- Swede - Smoked Salmon, no cheese, garnish with capers and fennel tufts.
- French Classic - Ham, Gruyère cheese (or cream), garnish with chives.
The glasses used in this recipe are heat-proof shot glasses designed for drinking hot espresso coffee (which should only be used at LOW pressure). Do not use glassware that is not specifically designed to resist heat in your pressure cooker! If you cannot find this type of shot glass, you can use cups, ramekins, or any other heat-proof container for your pressure cooker.
| Pressure Cooker | Accessories | Pr. Cook Time | Pr. Level | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5L or larger | Steamer, Ramekin | 4 min. | Low (1) | Cold-Water Quick |
- 4 Eggs
- 4 Slices of Meat, Fish or Vegetables
- 4 Slices of Cheese, or shot of cream
- 4 Garnish of Fresh Herbs
- Olive Oil
- Prepare the pressure cooker by adding one cup of water and the trivet and set aside. Prepare the ramekins by adding a drop of olive oil in each and rubbing the bottom and sides. Then, lay a slice of preferred meat or vegetable.
- Break an egg and drop it into the ramekin. Add sliced cheese, or cream, of choice.
- For a soft egg yolk, cover tightly with tin foil (to keep the superheated vapor from having direct contact with the egg) for a hard fully-cooked yolk leave uncovered. Place ramekins in the steamer basket and lower into pressure cooker.
- Close and lock the lid. Set the pressure level to LOW. Turn the heat up high and when the pan reaches pressure, lower the heat and count 4 minutes cooking time at LOW pressure.
- When time is up, carefully bring your pressure cooker to the sink and open it with the cold-water quick release method – run water over the top being careful not to cover or wet any of the valves. For electric pressure cookers, cook at low pressure for just 3 minutes and release pressure using the Normal method – release vapor through the valve.
- Remove the ramekins carefully and serve immediately on a little plate or saucer.
Is the texture of the egg the same using this method as with baking?
Anonymous, If you want the egg soft-boiled, yes. If you would ordinarily put it under the broiler and have little burned ends, no. Though, I would not rule out broiling after pressure cooking!
The texture is closer to the method of putting the egg in a sealed jar and cooking it Bain Marie – something my mother-in-law does all the time with the kids.
Mexican style: Refried beans, diced green chiles and/or jalapenos and/or salsa, jack and/or cheddar cheese, cumin. IMO, Ortega beans and peppers are the best canned brand.
Layer bottom to top: beans,, a bit of cumin, peppers, salsa, egg, cheese. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with corn or flour tortillas warmed in a dry skillet, or (most autentico) fry corn tortillas in a little oil. Yum!
Maybe the salsa could be the garnish so it doesn’t have to cook. But, ooooh.. what a great idea turn each egg into a mini meal!
Ciao,
L
I tried to Highlight and Copy your pressure cooked French eggs, but was unable to Highlight it. Any
ideas? — Thanks mucho. — Melba
Ciao Melba, I had to disable copy & paste for this website because a Pressure Cooking mailing list was copying all of my recipes and adding them to their archives without citing the source or my permission!
However, at the very bottom of this page (after the comment box) there is a green link called “Print Friendly” where you can print or save the page as a PDF file.
I hope this helps!
Ciao,
L
This was the first dish I tried (along side a hard boiled egg) in my Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker this week; it turned out great! I did have to put it back on to pressure a coupl minutes to cook it a little longer; it came up pressure much quicker than I anticipated! I started with boiled water in the bottom of my cooker—love it! Made the Carnitas today–another winner!
Nanc, thanks for telling us about your successes! Yes, you are right. If you start with boiling water instead of room temperature water the cocottes will need more time. Remember, the food in the cooker is also cooking WHILE the cooker is coming up to pressure!
Ciao,
L