Spring brings some special bounty to the market. We managed to get my hands on some fantastic Morel Mushrooms and Asparagus. Morels cant be grown by design and are foraged in the forests, so the yield is sporadic and to destiny. Hence they are expensive. I got 3 Morel Mushrooms! Each one cost me about 2 usd. The morel mushrooms are one of the very first mushrooms to pop up in spring. Be careful if you forage without mushroom knowledge because the false morels can be toxic.
The morel mushrooms have a gorgeous honeycomb cap, and although i had only 3 morel mushrooms their flavor is intense and nutty and texture is meaty. Butter really brings out their best also getting infused with the cooking juices from the morel mushrooms.
I decided to do something simple with them for breakfast. I decided to top them on oeuf en cocotte (eggs in a pot). I cracked an egg in a bowl i had buttered for greasing, sprinkled some sea salt, a grind of pepper and a spoon of cream.
Then the bowl went into a pan with simmering water at level slightly above the eggs in the bowls. This is cooked for about 4 minutes with a lid on. You can see the whites get cooked delicately and yolk is warmed slowly but left runny. Some people bake this in a water bath but i find this method cooks the egg more delicately.
Meanwhile some butter went into the pan followed by the dry brushed and cleaned chopped morels. Once they were slightly reduced from cooking the asparagus spears went in. As asparagus cooks and gets bright and green in color (doesn’t take long) you take it off the pan and top your pot of eggs. A couple of grates of parmigiano reggiano and you are all set for a delicious breakfast.
If morels cant be found, eggs in a pot still have limitless possibilities with other mushrooms, caramelized onions, other cheeses. A medley of fresh herbs – parsley, chives etc and butter roasted chopped tomatoes, wilted greens like spinach, chard etc work well too. Flavored oils like truffle or chili or basil oil works great as well. Just take care that you don’t overload and add too many ingredients. Something that’s in the season and local is always willing to be breakfast.
Oeuf En Cocotte with Morel Mushrooms
- Total Time: 12 mins
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Description
We top oeuf en cocotte (eggs in a pot) with butter sauteed morel mushrooms in this recipes for a quick and delicious breakfast
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- salt to taste
- 1 grind coarse black pepper
- 1 tsp cream
- 1 Large Morel Mushroom
- 3 Asparagus spears
- 1 tsp butter plus butter for greasing
- 1 tsp parmigiano reggiano
Instructions
- Set water to simmer in a wide pan
- Grease a small glass bowl or ramekin
- Crack open the egg into the bowl
- Sprinkle some salt and a grind of black pepper on the egg
- Spoon the cream over the egg
- When the water is boiling add the bowl to the pan and cooked covered on heat for 4 minutes. Make sure the water in pan reaches above the level of the egg
- Meanwhile melt the butter in a pan
- Add the chopped morel mushrooms
- Once the mushrooms are slightly wilted add the asparagus spears
- Cook till the asparagus turns brighter in color
- Top the morel mushrooms and asparagus on the cooked eggs in the bowl
- Grate a little bit of parmigiano reggiano and serve while warm.
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Breakfast
