What are eggs en cocotte?

Eggs gently cracked into small, buttered individual molds (cocottes) and set slowly in a water bath, so the white is just firm and the yolk soft. In this à la Colbert version, the molds are first lined with filling.

What is the filling made of?

Chopped mushrooms and ham sautéed in butter and bound with a little reduced meat sauce. This is placed in the bottom and along the sides of the cocotte before the eggs are added.

How is the dish plated?

Just before serving, a thread of reduced meat sauce is laid around the egg yolks. The dish is served warm in the cocottes, serving 4.

Where does the recipe come from?

From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 441, in the chapter on omelets and egg dishes.

Eggs en cocotte à la Colbert

Name: Eggs en cocotte à la Colbert
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 4 pcs eggs (1 per cocotte); 100 g mushrooms (finely chopped); 75 g cooked ham (finely chopped); 20 g butter (for sautéing); 1 dl reduced meat sauce (heavily reduced meat sauce, a little for mixing and a little for garnish); salt (to taste); pepper (to taste)

Eggs en cocotte à la Colbert from Erken 1914: the bottom and sides of small molds are lined with chopped mushroom and ham sautéed in butter and bound with reduced meat sauce, an egg is cracked in and steamed in a water bath in the oven for about 10 minutes. Garnished with a thread of meat sauce around the yolk before serving.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 441 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

A finer version of eggs en cocotte, named after Colbert. The cooking method is the same as for the other cocotte eggs: steaming in a water bath in the oven, covered with a small opening for the steam.

How to make it

1
Sauté the filling
Sauté the finely chopped mushrooms and ham in butter, and bind the mixture with a little reduced meat sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
2
Line the molds
Line the bottom and sides of 4 buttered cocottes with the mushroom and ham mixture.
3
Add the eggs
Carefully crack one egg into each cocotte so the yolk stays whole.
4
Steam in a water bath
Place the cocottes in a roasting pan, pour in boiling water to 1½ cm from the rim, cover leaving a small opening for the steam, and place in the oven at about 175 °C (345 °F) for about 10 minutes, until the whites are nearly set.
5
Plate
Just before serving, lay a thin thread of reduced meat sauce around the egg yolk. Serve at once in the molds.

Changes from the original

The original gives no quantities; practical amounts for 4 servings have been added. "Reduced meat sauce" is interpreted as a reduced, concentrated meat sauce/demi-glace. Oven temperature has been added.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 441)~92% of the text changedremovedadded

~~4 stk egg (1 per cocotte). 100 g sjampinjong (finhakket). 75 g kokt~~ Egg champignons skinke ~~(finhakket). 20 g smør (til risting). 1 dl innkokt kraftsaus (kraftig redusert kjøttsaus, litt til blanding~~ kraftsaus. Cocotternes bund og ~~litt til pynt). salt (etter smak). pepper (etter smak). Rist finhakket sjampinjong~~ sider dækkes med hakkede champignons og ~~skinke~~ skinke, ristet i ~~smør,~~ smør og ~~jevn blandingen~~ jevnet med litt ~~innkokt~~ indkokt kraftsaus. ~~Smak til med salt og pepper.. Dekk bunn og sider i 4 smorte cocotter med sjampinjong- og skinkeblandingen.. Knekk forsiktig ett egg i hver cocotte så plommen holder seg hel.. Sett cocottene~~ Eggene slaaes forsigtig i ~~en langpanne, hell på kokende vann til 1½ cm fra kanten, dekk til med en liten åpning for dampen~~ og ~~sett i ovnen ved ca. 175 °C i ca. 10 minutter, til hviten nesten er stiv.. Rett~~ kokes som ovenfor forklaret. Umiddelbart før ~~servering legges~~ anretningen omgives blommerne med en ~~tynn tråd~~ traad av ~~innkokt kraftsaus rundt eggeplommen. Server straks i formene.~~ indkokt kraftsaus.

Note on Modernised

Originalen oppgir ingen mengder; praktiske mengder for 4 porsjoner er lagt til. «Indkokt kraftsaus» er tolket som redusert, kraftig kjøttsaus/demi-glace. Ovnstemperatur er lagt til.

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Frequently asked questions

What are eggs en cocotte?: Eggs gently cracked into small, buttered individual molds (cocottes) and set slowly in a water bath, so the white is just firm and the yolk soft. In this à la Colbert version, the molds are first lined with filling.
What is the filling made of?: Chopped mushrooms and ham sautéed in butter and bound with a little reduced meat sauce. This is placed in the bottom and along the sides of the cocotte before the eggs are added.
How is the dish plated?: Just before serving, a thread of reduced meat sauce is laid around the egg yolks. The dish is served warm in the cocottes, serving 4.
Where does the recipe come from?: From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 441, in the chapter on omelets and egg dishes.

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