Coddled Eggs (French Oeufs en Cocotte)

A traditional French dish, oeufs en cocotte (or coddled eggs) makes for an elegant and nourishing breakfast.  Eggs and crème fraîche are really all you need for this super-simple yet very tasty dish. You can throw in almost anything savoury you find in your fridge. Try serving it with plenty of crusty bread.

1 small tomato, sliced crosswise ½" thick
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
2 tsp. butter, room temperature
2 oz Fontina cheese, cut into ½" cubes
4 large eggs
4 tsp. crème fraîche
1 tsp. fresh chives, chopped

Preheat oven to 250°F (120°C/100°C fan, Gas Mark 0.5).

Fit a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack. Place tomato slices on rack and drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to oven and bake until dry and wrinkled, about 3 hours.

Increase oven temperature to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Brush two 6 oz ovenproof bowls with butter. Place two slices of tomato in the bottom of each bowl, overlapping slightly. Divide cheese evenly between bowls. Crack 2 eggs into each bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Place bowls on a baking sheet and transfer to oven; bake until yolks are almost set but still slightly runny, 12-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and preheat broiler.

Spoon 2 tsp. crème fraîche into each bowl and transfer to broiler. Broil until top is brown and bubbly and whites are set, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.