Les Œufs à la Coque Provençaux

In our diet-conscious, low-fat, low-calorie society, we often forget something very important about eggs: eggs have yolks.

The gooey, warm, yellow center of the egg has lost favor among health-conscious eaters because of their reputation as the fatty part of the egg that is packed with cholesterol. When you consider the biology of the egg, this comes as no surprise: the yolk is the food source for the developing embryo, the baby chick that would hatch from the egg if it were fertilized. Therefore, the yolk is a complete life-support system, packed with vitamins (A, E, D, K, B6 and b12), minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, to name a few), essential amino acids and Omega-3s and -6s (if the eggs are raised naturally on pasture). Yes, the yolk is full of fat and cholesterol, but with all of these other health benefits, one egg is enough to serve as a very healthy source of protein and fat, as well as a potent multi-vitamin that is as nutritious as it is easy to swallow.

Les Oeufs à la Coque is the French name for the 3-minute egg. A dear college friend of mine first introduced me to this delightful meal at Le Pain Quotidien, a world-wide, French farm-style, organic restaurant chain. Their breakfast specialty is the oeuf à la coque, served in a tiny egg cup with little matchsticks of organic bread known as soldats, little "soldiers" that one dunks into the warm and runny yolk of the egg. After the soldats are consumed, one then finishes off the egg with a spoon by delicately scraping the white from the interior of the shell.

After mastering egg cooking techniques in my tiny kitchen in Paris, I re-introduced the egg yolk to my parents back home. My mother -- ever the health-conscious one -- was immediately smitten; the yolk reminded her of her childhood, when her Portuguese mother would prepare eggs for the children and my mother would soak up the runny yolks with crusty bits of Portuguese bread. My father was astonished by how delicate eggs could be; the eggs of his childhood were fondly known as "Eggs Like Daddy Makes", a Sunday brunch concoction whereby my paternal grandfather would empty the contents of refrigerator leftovers into a bubbling pan of scrambled eggs, finished off with a generous touch of Tabasco sauce.

My favorite preparation of oeufs à la coque combines the richness of the egg with the freshness of tomatoes, the sweetness of which offsets the salt used to garnish the egg. I also like to serve these with steamed asparagus spears, which make very tasty soldats. I call this particular preparation Les Oeufs à la Coque Provençaux after I used Herbes de Provence (a gift from a long-time friend) to season the tomatoes. This preparation is also more rustic than traditional oeufs à la coque as the egg is served on top of a slice of crusty bread -- simply because I have yet to purchase a set of porcelain egg cups.


LES ŒUFS À LA COCQUE PROVENÇAUX

Serves 2

2 Organic, free-range Eggs
1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Herbes de Provence
Salt and Pepper


Cut Cherry tomatoes in half. Heat a small sauté pan over the stove, add about a teaspoon of olive oil and a generous pinch of Herbes de Provence. Toss in tomatoes, and sauté until tomatoes become soft and slightly browned. Set aside.

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Gently drop eggs in shells into boiling water. (Eggs should be room temperature, or else they make crack or cook unevenly.) Boil eggs for 3-6 minutes, depending on desired runniness of egg yolk. Remove eggs from boiling water, and cool by running eggs in their shells under a cold water tap. Remove shells carefully using fingers.

Toast a slice of bread, an English muffin, or crumpet. Arrange bread on a plate with a helping of tomatoes on the side. Place egg on top of bread, split with a knife, and allow egg yolk to run over bread and plate. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Enjoy immediately, with a fork and knife, or with steamed asparagus soldats.

Bon appétit!