Coconut Turmeric Curry and Merguez Ragu: The Chef's Baked Eggs Recipes

So, hear me out: the best baked eggs are made without baking. Through culinary experiments, discovering that covering the pan creates a steamy environment for cooking the egg tops, resulting in perfectly cooked soft-cooked egg featuring set whites and flowing center. The harsh, arid temperature of the oven acts stronger versus moist heat, typically causing to dehydrate ingredients and harden the yolk. Here are two sauce options to get started, encouraging customization. One is a super-simple turmeric coconut curry, and the second offers a merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation 10 min
Cooking time 55 min
Serves 2

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, trimmed and minced
Fine sea salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
Turmeric powder
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Aromatic leaves
Creamy coconut
Chickpeas
Fresh basil, with more for garnish
Fresh eggs
Green chilies, julienned, as garnish

Use a heavy skillet at moderate-high temperature. Pour in some oil, toss in the onion seasoned with salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, leave to sizzle, mixing now and then for three to four minutes, then tip in the coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Let it bubble, then turn down to a simmer, and leave it to tick over for half an hour, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Add salt to taste, mix in fresh basil.

Use the back of a spoon making four indentations across the base, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid, and cook on a low heat for a few minutes, until egg whites firm with yolks still runny. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs and thinly sliced finger chillies, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time Under an hour
Yields Two

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
Spicy paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Four eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, roughly chopped
Chopped herbs, diced
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
1 lemon, wedge-cut, for serving

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate temperature. Drizzle olive oil when heated, remove the skins from the sausages and break off pieces into the skillet, resembling tiny meatballs. Lower temperature, cook until golden, releasing flavorful oils. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan while cooking, for even browning.

When golden, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pot, increase to medium heat and cook, stirring, briefly, until the mix smells fragrant, and garlic softens. Tip in the tomatoes, salt to taste heat to simmer. Lower to gentle simmer and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, thicken and deepen in colour, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Employ utensil forming wells across base, break eggs in. Dust with salt with salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Cook for two to three minutes gently, when eggs set with yolks runny.

Remove from heat, top with pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, and a drizzle of oil, accompanied by lemon.