Oeuf en Cocotte with Spinach, Mushrooms, Smoked Cheddar and Pancetta

Spring may be here in a calendar sense, but the Edinburgh weather says otherwise. Snow, a bitter wind chill and driving rain are keeping me wrapped up inside and the heating at full. But after months of winter I'm getting a bit tired of hearty rich stews, root vegetables and other seasonal fare. It's not quite time for a salad (though really, when is it ever) but for something a bit lighter, something that says "hi glass of crisp white wine" but still comes out of the oven.

Les Cocottes, all the way from France

I'm lucky enough to have received a gift of some individual oven dishes, baby casseroles if you will or cocotte as the French call them. They lend their name to the traditional French dish of Oeuf en Cocotte, where a whole egg is cracked into each dish, seasoned and baked to soft, creamy perfection in the oven using a bain marie. Sometimes butter, cream or cheese are added to make a luxe version, or maybe herbs or wilted spinach. You delve into the baked oeuf with a spoon or some posh sourdough soldiers and savour the rich yet delicate flavours inside.

I made this version with baby spinach, mushrooms and smoked cheddar. These flavours work really well together, the earthiness of the spinach and mushrooms, the richness of the cheese and the lightness of the egg. I fry up some salty pancetta to finish the oeufs off; it brings out the smokiness of the cheddar and adds texture but it's not essential.

Perfect for a cosy late supper or a starter. Double or triple the recipe for more or hungrier people

Serves 2

2 Very large free range eggs, the biggest and free-est you can find. I had some straight from a local farm where you buy them from an honesty box. They're usually double yolkers the colour of marigolds.
Couple of handfuls baby spinach
3 cubes of butter
70g white mushrooms, stalks discarded
2 tbsp creme fraiche
50g smoked chedder, grated
4 rashers of pancetta
Decent bread
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Ground paprika (to serve)

2 small individual baking dishes/cocottes/ramekins with lids (or use foil)
Roasting tin to cook them in, deep enough to be used as a bain marie

1. Preheat the oven to Gasmark 3
2. Wilt the spinach with seasoning and cube of butter in a saucepan. Drain and press out all of the liquid
3. Discard the stalks of the mushrooms and slice them finely. Heat a frying pan, add the butter till sizzling then fry the mushrooms till browned. While they're cooking, boil the kettle.
4. Grease each dish with butter, then add a layer of spinach, then the mushrooms. Pat them down quite firmly.
5. Break an egg carefully into each dish over the mushrooms. You can break it into a cup or measuring jug first if that helps. Add a tiny pinch of seasoning. Pour over the creme fraiche and cover with the cheese.
6. Put the lids or foil on and place in the roasting tin. Pour boiling water into the tin so it comes up to about two thirds of the sides of the little dishes. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending how set you like the eggs. I take the lids off for a few minutes at the end to get a bit of colour on the cheese.
7. When they're nearly cooked fry the pancetta and drain on kitchen paper. Slice and butter some bread. Serve the eggs with a sprinkling of paprika and the pancetta on top.

Oeuf en Cocotte

Ballymaloe Day 20, 3rd February - Are the Urchins here yet?

End of Week 4 and my first week in Kitchen 2. Think I know where everything is now. I wanted to make the Brown Yeast Bread which I hadn't had a chance to make so far. Started afresh after my yeast didn't seem to work, it should fizz in the jug of treacle and water and froth like a pint of Guinness! Got that underway, then onto the Marzipan Apples, made marzipan! Which we then use to stuff some cored and peeled apples which are dipped in cinnamon sugar and baked. Loved the marzipan, would make that again as soon as possible!

I also chopped loads of mushrooms for the soup, good practice, also good practice sweating onions and cooking in the flour etc to get flavour into the soup. Bread done, soup done, apples in the oven, it was time for the eggs. I made the Smoked Salmon, Leek and Dill Frittata, but it started to get too hot underneath while the top and middle weren't cooked. Then I put it under the grill to finish it off while I got on with my French Omelette but there was so much going on it just ended up looking burnt and oily :( Left it to one side, should have taken it out the pan straight away, as a result it was definitely overcooked but once turned out actually looked okay. I made three French Omlettes, each one was not quite perfect, either the pan was too hot or too cold, argh! Rachel made it look so easy!

My Frittata on the right

Last demonstration of the week. I was tired but things got very exciting with the arrival of loads of Irish Shellfish. Langoustines, Shrimps, then several different types of Clams including Paloures, Mussels, Oysters, Periwinkles and Sea Urchin! I heard Rory ask the teachers in the kitchen, "are the Urchins here yet?" like you do. Makes me think of Oliver Twist. Anyway, before the Seafood Platter we also saw Dingle and Kerry Pie, Poached plums and Rhubarb, Banana Bread, Carrot Cake and Beetroot Cake, and a Carrageen Moss Pudding. Carrageen is a kind of seaweed you can forage for here in Ireland or buy dried and rehydrate.

It was loads to concentrate on for a Friday afternoon but enjoyed it. The plates of shellfish were particularly spectacular! And I now know how to prepare a Sea Urchin!

'Chanel Pink' Rhubarb to the left, Fruits de Mer to the right

Periwinkles

Spot the spiky Urchin

Beetroot & Walnut Cake