Preparation time
over 2 hours
Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour
Serves
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the eggs en cocotte
- butter, for greasing
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- ½ garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- handful wild mushrooms, cut into 2cm/3/4in pieces
- 100ml/3½fl oz dry white wine
- 150ml/5fl oz double cream
- 2 duck eggs
- 20g/¾oz Gruyère, finely grated
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6–10 truffle slices, to garnish (optional)
For the bread
- 4g fresh yeast
- 40g/1½oz plain yoghurt
- 200g/7oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- olive oil, for greasing
Method
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To make the bread, put the yeast and yoghurt in a bowl, add 120g/4½oz room-temperature water and mix. Set aside for 10 minutes.
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In a separate larger bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and a teaspoon of salt together. Add the water mixture to the flour mixture and mix evenly. Knead for 5 minutes in the bowl; the dough should be wet. Cover with a damp cloth and leave for about 2 hours.
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Knock any air out of the dough and divide it into four 120g/4oz balls. Oil a large baking sheet, put the dough balls on it spaced apart and cover with a teatowel. Leave to prove for 10–15 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Pat the dough balls down slightly to form a flat surface about 15cm/6in in diameter. Bake for 12–15 minutes (if you prefer you can cook on a lightly oiled griddle pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes on each side). Set aside.
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To cook the eggs en cocotte, reduce the oven temperature to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Butter two 100ml/31/2fl oz ramekins or individual cocottes. Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the shallots, thyme, garlic and bay until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and simmer until reduced by three-quarters. Pour in the cream and cook until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper.
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Spoon a quarter of the mushroom sauce into the bottom of each ramekin, remove the thyme and bay, then crack in a duck egg and top with the remaining sauce. Bake for 3 minutes, or until the whites have started to set. Sprinkle over the Gruyère and bake for a further 4–8 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs cooked.
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Cut the bread into soldiers and toast. Garnish the egg pots with the truffle, if using, and eat immediately with the soldiers.