Years ago, we were told not to eat too many eggs because they were bad for our cholesterol levels. Now, all that has changed. Eggs are seen as one of the most wonderfully nutritious meals you can have. One egg contains 6g of protein, a range of vitamins, and important fatty acids which contribute to the health of the brain and nervous system to help prevent heart disease. If you have hens, as I do, you spend a lot of time thinking of ways to cook eggs other than boiling, poaching, frying and scrambling.
Coddling is a wonderful old way to prepare an egg as a dainty little meal, especially if you have an old china or porcelain egg coddler with a silver lid. It makes breakfast in bed that extra bit special and for lunch it is looks very dainty. Coddled eggs are very similar to the French dish oeufs en cocotte, which comes in a variety of flavours. I’ve included some of them here on the right for you to try.
The word “coddle” means to cook something below boiling point and is thought to have come from the Latin word “caldum” which means hot drink. You can simply coddle an egg by putting the whole egg in hot – not boiling – water for 10 minutes until it is cooked to a consistency similar to a poached egg. But placing them in their little coddlers with the addition of cream or butter is a tastier, deluxe version of the dish. You can also use a tea cup or a ramekin in place of a coddler.
Basic coddled egg
1 coddler, tea cup, or ramekin
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp cream
1 fresh, organic egg
In a large pot, bring water to the boil on the oven top.
Take your coddler and grease the inside with butter (using your fingertips is probably the easiest way).
Pour the cream into the coddler and then break the egg on top. Season with salt and pepper and a little dab of butter if you like.
Put the lid on, or cover with tin foil if using a cup or ramekin. Then, place it in the boiling water, making sure the water comes halfway up the side of the coddler.
Simmer in the pot for about five minutes. Check to see that it is cooked and looks like a poached egg – you may need to leave it for a few minutes more if not. Serve with hot buttered toast.
Variations:
Place a couple of cooked asparagus tips in with the cream before adding the egg.
Add a little smoked salmon as well as some finely chopped fresh dill to the cream.
Put a layer of cooked spinach in the ramekin, add the cream and some grated cheese, then add in the egg.
Add some finely chopped bacon to the cream before adding the egg.
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