Coddled Eggs

Coddled Eggs

I love eggs and delight in discovering new ways to cook them. Eggs are a staple protein in our house from egg tacos to variations on typical egg bakes to deviled eggs to everyday  hard boiled eggs or scrambled eggs on toast.

My mom recently gifted me a set of porcelain coddling dishes that she picked up on her travels to Ireland in the '70s. I am smitten. And this approach is quickly becoming a staple in our egg rotation. 

To be honest I had never eaten a coddled egg before. Do you eat coddled eggs often? The original instruction tag proved useful for my novice attempt at mastering the coddled egg. It is quite simple really. Fill a pot with enough water to cover the lid line of the coddler & bring to a boil. 

Coat each dish with butter (preferably Irish Kerry Gold!). Crack an egg into each coddler, top with salt & pepper to taste. Feel free to add a thin slice of butter on top. Screw on the lid to each dish & add to the boiling water for 6-10 minutes, depending on your desired firmness for the eggs. Et voila!

As an alternative to a proper coddling dish, a lidded jar would work just as well. These ones are available at World Market. The extra room in these dishes would allow you to experiment with different seasonings & additions to suit your taste. For instance, why not line the jar with mashed potatoes & spinach?!

Removing the dish from the boiling water can be a tricky endeavor. We tied a string to each dish for easier removal, but we still struggled a bit to remove the lid. I suggest having a few dish towels on hand to help this cause. 

Coddled eggs are best eaten with bread for dipping into the dish & sopping up the runny eggs. During our recent move, we served these one night with toast (of course) & roasted asparagus bundles with gruyere cheese wrapped in bacon. This made for a completely satisfying meal. So simple, so delicious.