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Let me explain: the best baked eggs don’t ever hit the oven. During recipe development, realizing that using a cover creates a steamy environment that gently cooks the eggs, delivering a gently cooked delicately prepared egg featuring set whites and a warm, runny yolk. Direct oven heat in conventional ovens is much more aggressive compared to steaming, typically causing to dehydrate ingredients resulting in firm yolks. Presenting two flavorful bases to get started, but get creative. The first features an easy coconut turmeric blend, and the second offers a merguez ragu reimagines classic tomato-baked eggs, essentially, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (featured)

Preparation 10 minutes
Cook Just under an hour
Yields Two people

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
Fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
Chickpeas
Basil leaves, plus extra to serve
4 eggs
2 green finger chillies, julienned, for serving

Heat a cast-iron pan on a medium-high heat. Pour in some oil, toss in the onion with some salt, sauté for several minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, allow to cook, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, then tip in the coconut milk along with chickpeas and liquid. Heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, let it simmer about 35 minutes, until thick and golden. Add salt to taste, then stir in the basil leaves.

Employ a utensil to create four little pockets within the sauce, break eggs into each. Dust each egg with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid, simmer over low heat for two to three minutes, when whites are cooked and the yolks just warm. Take off the heat, garnish with more basil and thinly sliced finger chillies, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep Quick prep
Cook 45 min
Serves 2

Oil
Merguez sausages
Harissa paste
Toasted cumin
Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Salt
Fresh eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
Chopped herbs, diced
Creamy yogurt
1 lemon, sliced into wedges, for serving

Use a heavy pan at moderate temperature. Pour in oil once hot, remove the skins from the sausages and pinch small amounts of the meat into the pan, like mini balls. Lower temperature, brown the meat slowly, extracting spicy fats. Move sausage pieces as they cook, so they colour on all sides.

After browning, mix in spices and garlic into the skillet, increase to medium heat sauté while stirring, briefly, when fragrant, with garlic cooked. Add tomatoes, add seasoning and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low heat and leave to blip away for twenty minutes. Ragu thickens, become richer and darker, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Employ utensil making indentations within sauce, break eggs in. Dust with salt with salt, cover skillet. Heat for minutes on low flame, when eggs set and the yolks just warm.

Remove from heat, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, plus oil drizzle, with lemon on side.