Are you tired of being stuck inside and are longing for an extravagant getaway? While no one will be hopping on a flight to Paris anytime soon, we have a recipe that can turn your kitchen into a French Cafe! Oeuf Cocotte is difficult to pronounce but easy to make!

Creamy, savory, and decadent, it tastes like the most excellent chef in France prepared it. Except, in this case, the chef is you! One of the beautiful things about this recipe is that it can happen in any kitchen! Don’t have an eight burner gas stove or a fancy brick oven? Not a problem. All you need for this Oeuf Cocotte is a small ramequin and a toaster oven. Just because this recipe contains eggs doesn’t mean you can only eat it for brunch! Mais non!

You can enjoy Oeuf Cocotte for breakfast, lunch, dinner, whenever the craving strikes you. And once you’ve tasted this dish, the craving will strike again and again! All of these ingredients can be found in your local grocery store if you don’t already have them in your pantry. The recipe calls for crème fraîche, which will probably be the most challenging ingredient to find.

However, if your supermarket doesn’t stock it and you don’t have time to make a side trip to some specialty cheese shop, don’t worry. You can still make your Oeuf Cocotte substituting sour cream, Boursin, or any other soft cheese you get. Whether you’re hosting a fancy brunch or want to impress your roommates, this simple recipe is great for a crowd.

Eggs, crème fraîche, salt, and pepper make up the base of the dish, but anything after that is entirely up to you. That means if one guest wants something green, throw some veggies into their ramequin! If another likes things to be a bit more savory, try adding sliced ham or crumbled bacon to their mix! The only limit is your guest’s imagination! The only tricky part of cooking this dish is getting the egg just right.

The key to a good Oeuf Cocotte is making sure the egg whites are solid, but the yolk is still a delicious runny mess. If you leave the ramequins in the oven for too long, the eggs will be rubbery and hard. But if you take them out too soon, everything will be soupy and not exactly appealing to eat. The first couple of times you make this dish, it might be a good idea not to wander too far away from your toaster oven! Keep a close eye on your eggs and pull them out to check the yolk every so often.

Once you’ve mastered this recipe and have your cooking time down, you can let the oven work it’s magic while you wander off to chill the champagne for mimosas! Even though you’re not able to visit the City of Lights in person, this dish will bring a little of Paris’ magic right to your kitchen. Enjoy it with crunchy toast and the satisfaction that you’ve come closer to becoming a master chef!

1. Heat up a little oil in a small skillet, and sauté the vegetables until tender.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Grease a small ramequin, arrange the ham, vegetables and crème fraîche at the bottom, and break the egg on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you're using dried herbs, sprinkle them on now. Top with cheese if desired.
3. Put the ramequin in a gratin dish, and pour hot water in the dish to reach half the height of the ramequin. Put in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs.
4. Once the eggs are done, sprinkle with paprika and fresh herbs, if using. Serve with crusty bread or warm toast.