Eggs En Cocotte (Using 1/2 Pint Wide Mouths Lol)

Ingredients

The bacon filling

• 1 leek, large, white and light-green part only (root end trimmed)
• 1 cup gruyere cheese, finely grated
• 6 ounces bacon, thick-sliced, cooked, drained and cut into 1/2-inch lengthwise strips
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

The eggs

• 8 large eggs
• 4 teaspoons heavy cream
• salt
• black pepper, freshly ground

Directions

1. 1

   Cut the leek lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices in a large bowl of water and use your fingers to break up the pieces, releasing any grit. Let the leeks float to the top and then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a separate bowl.

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Boil a kettle of water. Have ready eight 8-ounce ramekins or wide-mouth glass canning jars (without lids), and a roasting pan large enough to hold them in a single layer.

3. 3

   Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the leeks and cook for 3 minutes, until softened. Drain and rinse them under cold running water until cooled. Use your hands to squeeze all of the water from the leeks and place them in a medium bowl to yield about 1/2 cup. Add the Gruyere, cooked bacon, salt, pepper and nutmeg; mix well.

4. 4

   Divide the bacon filling evenly among 4 ramekins each. Crack 2 raw eggs in each ramekin. Spoon a teaspoon of heavy cream over the egg whites in each ramekin, leaving the yolks exposed. Season each ramekin lightly with salt and pepper.

5. 5

   Place the ramekins in the roasting pan. Transfer the pan with the ramekins to the middle rack of the oven. Pour in enough of the boiled water to come one-third of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes or until the whites are set (opaque and firm when tested with the tip of a paring knife) but the yolks are still runny.

6. 6

   Serve immediately, with crispy buttery mouillettes on the side.