Alex Chen, executive chef for Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, shares his recipe for Oeuf en Cocotte.
Oeuf en Cocotte
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients
1 chorizo sausage (dry and cured)
8 large free range eggs
1.5 lbs (approx. 9 cups) baby spinach leaves
8 cherry tomatoes (blanched and peeled)
1 small red onion
2/3 cup cornstarch
2L canola oil
1 ¼ cups fontina cheese
4 slices of sourdough or country loaf
Tomato Sauce
1 500 ml can of whole peeled d.o.p. san marzano tomatoes
500 g fresh roma tomatoes (approx. 2 ¼ cups, halved)
1 small fennel bulb (split)
1 white onion
1 celery stalk
5 garlic cloves
1 small leek
1 red fresno chilli (de-veined and seeded)
Sachet
1 sprig each of:
– Basil
– Thyme
– Parsley
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp each of:
– Black peppercorns
– Coriander seeds
– Fennel seeds
Salt
Pepper
100 ml olive oil
Celery salt
Sugar
Tabasco
Method
Tomato Sauce
– Dice all vegetables into 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm cubes
– Dice garlic
– In a heavy bottom pot, heat 50 ml of olive oil on med-high heat
– Add all garlic and vegetables
– Sweat until translucent and soft to touch
– In another heavy bottom pot heat the remaining 50ml of olive oil on med-high heat
– Cut all roma tomatoes in half and lightly squeeze out and discard excess juice and seeds
– Add roma tomatoes into pot
– Stir quickly and add salt (2 pinches)
– Keep stirring on high heat for 3 minutes until excess juices are released
– Strain off excess juices
– Strain out liquid from canned tomatoes
– Add canned tomatoes to the pot of roma tomatoes and stir
– Add tomato mixture to the diced vegetables
– Add sachet and stir
– Season to taste with salt and pepper
– Simmer for 45 min-1hour, if there is still a lot of liquid continue to cook until more liquid evaporates
– Remove sachet
– Spoon mix into food processor
– Pulse a few times until chopped evenly, do not purée
– Season to taste with celery salt, sugar, and tabasco
– Remove from heat and cool
Spinach
– In a heavy bottom pan heat a touch of olive oil on med-high heat
– Finely mince one clove of garlic and add, be careful not to burn
– Add spinach and sauté until wilted
– Add salt and pepper to taste
– Cool in strainer
– Squeeze out excess liquid by hand
Chorizo
– Cut into ½ cm slices
Cherry Tomatoes
– Slice in half
Red Onion
– Thinly slice red onion rings
– Toss lightly in cornstarch
– In a heavy bottom pot, heat canola oil to 320° F
– Fry rings until lightly golden brown
– Dry on paper towel
– Season with salt
Eggs
If you have a circulator:
– Set to 64.3 °C
– Cook eggs for 1 hour
– Remove and set aside
Soft poached eggs
– Hot water
– 1 cap full of white vinegar
– Do not overcook
Sourdough or Country Loaf
– Heat griddle on med-high heat
– Cut bread into 8 x 2 cm slices
– Sprinkle with salt and pepper
– Brush with olive oil
– Lightly grill both sides
– Rub one side with a raw garlic clove
– Cut on bias
Assembly
– Begin with oven proof cast iron skillets or dishes (8 inch)
– Heat oven to 425° F
– Divide spinach with hands into 4 equal parts
– Mold spinach into a ring 1 cm away from edge and one line down the middle
– Spoon tomato sauce around outer edge and into each ‘slot’
– Space out 4 half cherry tomatoes evenly around edge
– Place chorizo slices between cherry tomatoes along edge
– Place eggs in middle ‘slots,’ season with salt and pepper
– Sprinkle fontina on top
– Bake for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted, be careful not to overcook the eggs
– Remove from oven and place 4 pieces of grilled sourdough along edge between cherry tomatoes
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