To poach eggs en cocotte use the bain-marie.

Cocottes for eggs, which may be replaced by little china or plaited cases, are a kind of small saucepan in earthenware, in porcelain, or in silver, provided with a handle. The time generally allowed for the cooking or poaching of eggs in this way is ten minutes, but this is subject to variations either way.

Having garnished the cocottes and broken the eggs into them, as directed in the recipes which follow, set them in a flat pan and pour in enough boiling water to reach within one-half inch of the brims of the cocottes. Place in the oven and cover, just leaving sufficient opening for the steam to escape.

The eggs are done when the whites are almost set and the yolks are glossy. Dish them on a napkin or on a fancy dish-paper.

Eggs En Cocotte With Cream

Heat the cocottes beforehand; pour a tablespoonful of cream into each, followed by an egg, broken; season, and add two little lumps of butter, the size of one hazel nut. Place the cocottes in a bain-marie, and poach as before.

Eggs en Cocotte à la Jeanne. Garnish the bottom of the cocottes with a thickness of one-third inch of chicken forcemeat with cream, mixed with a fourth of its volume of foie-gras. Break the egg over the middle, season, and poach in the usual way. When about to serve, surround the eggs with a line of thin white sauce.

Eggs En Cocotte With Gravy

Break the eggs into buttered cocottes. Season, poach, and, when about to serve, surround the yolks with a thin but good gravy.

Eggs en Cocotte à la Lorraine. Put a teaspoonful of pork, cut into dice and fried, into each cocotte, also two slices of Gruyère or Parmesan cheese and one tablespoonful of boiling cream. Break the eggs, season, and poach in the usual way.

Eggs En Cocotte Roulotte

Garnish the bottom and sides of the cocottes with cooked spinach, chopped and pressed, lettuce leaves, which should be stewed in butter. Break the eggs, season, poach in the usual way, and, when about to send the eggs to the table, drop a touch of chopped parsley on each yolk.

Eggs En Cocotte With Morels

Garnish the bottom and sides of the cocottes with minced morels fried in butter and thickened with a little reduced brown sauce. Break the eggs, season, poach, and surround the yolks with a thread of the same sauce when dishing up.

Eggs en Cocotte à la Soubise. Garnish the bottom of the cocottes with a coating of thick Soubise puree. Break the eggs, season, and poach. When dishing up, surround the yolks with a thread of good gravy.