What's for Breakfast? Oeufs en Cocotte

How about a typical French breakfast this a.m?

I remember my first trip to Paris years ago, I ordered "scrambled eggs", or so I thought that's what I was ordering.

Out came a plate w/ 3 small glass jars.
What was this? we asked each other, too embarrassed to send them back.
One jar had some strange runny eggs with lardons (ham); the other had creamy eggs w/ fresh herbs; the 3rd jar had custard like eggs w/ cheese.

Pieces of baguette on the side for dipping. I was nervous to eat such runny eggs in a foreign country.

I would later learn that this is typical oeufs en cocottes....or "shirred" steamed eggs in a pot, in this case, in a jar, and I made it out alive to tell the delicious story.

I tried to be fancy here, and make the oeufs en cocotte (eggs in pots) in lidded jars, like Mimi did.

I love Mimi's blog Manger ("Mahn-jhay"), it is a feast for the eyes.

I love how effortlessly everything always looks......from her well mannered children to her bountiful array of fresh produce and flowers always adorning her farm table.
The basic recipe is eggs, cream and some toast to dip.

Here, I liked that Mimi used asparagus, in season now, so I went fancy and added asparagus, Parmesan and some sauteed mushrooms.

Mimi used lidded jars, and so did I, but feel free to use ramekins or if your kitchen is well equipped, used mini Staub cocottes w/ lids (lucky you!).

Here's how:

Coat each ramekin or jar with some cooking spray or butter.

Crack an egg or 2 into each jar (I had large jars, so did 2 eggs per jar). Drizzle w/ 1 tbsp of heavy cream per jar.
Season w/ sea salt & pepper and a pinch of piment d'espelette (that wonderful Basque smoked seasoning).

I added in a few pieces of sliced asparagus and some sauteed mushrooms. Top each jar w/ a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Place your jars in a deep large skillet w/ a lid and pour water around the jars, about 3/4 the way to the tops.

Simmer on the stove for 8 minutes with the pot lid on. Carefully remove the jars or ramekins w/ tongs and serve with toast or baguette slices.

You can also do this in the oven, same idea. Pour the water around the ramekins and cover the pan with foil. Bake at 400F 10 minutes, unless you like a runnier egg.

These are absolutely delicious......a luxurious way to start your day.

Bonne journée!