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United States, Americas · Sous Vide-Style Spinach and Cheese Egg Bites

Velvety Bacon and Gruyère Egg Bites (Water-Bath Method)

The café favourite done properly: strained, cornstarch-silkened egg custard with crisp bacon and nutty Gruyère, baked low and slow in a covered water bath for a true sous-vide texture.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time52 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsCook the eggs until the centre reaches 71°C. Take care with the boiling water bath and the steam under the foil; let the dish cool before moving it.

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 140°C with a rack in the middle and bring a full kettle to the boil. Butter 4 small ramekins or heatproof glass jars (about 120 ml each) well, right up to the rim.

    Add in this stepButter, for greasing 1 tsp

    oven

  2. Cut the bacon into 1 cm strips and put them in a cold 20 cm frying pan. Turn the heat to medium heat and cook for , stirring now and then, until crisp and deep golden. Starting cold lets the fat melt out slowly, so the bacon crisps evenly instead of burning. Drain on paper towels.

    Add in this stepSmoked streaky bacon 60 g

    medium heat

  3. Blend the eggs, cottage cheese, Gruyère (keep a little back for the tops), cornstarch, hot sauce, salt and pepper for , until completely smooth. Pour through a fine sieve into a jug, pressing with a spoon; this removes any curds and stringy bits of egg white for a glassy-smooth custard. Leave for 5 minutes, then skim off the foam, which would otherwise leave holes.

    Add in this stepLarge eggs 4Cottage cheese (full-fat) 60 gGruyère, finely grated 48 gCornstarch 1 tspHot sauce ½ tspSalt 1 pinchBlack pepper to taste

  4. Divide the bacon among the ramekins, keeping a few crumbs back for the top. Pour in the custard to 1 cm below the rim and sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère.

    Add in this stepGruyère, finely grated 12 g

  5. Stand the ramekins in a 20×20 cm baking dish, set it on the oven rack and pour boiling water into the dish until it comes halfway up the ramekins. Cover the whole dish tightly with foil to trap the steam, as in a sous-vide bath, and bake in the oven for . They are ready when the edges are set and the centre jiggles like set custard; a thermometer in the middle should read 71°C.

    oven

  6. Peel the foil back away from you (the steam is scalding), lift the ramekins out with tongs and a cloth and let them rest for . Serve in the ramekins or turned out, topped with the chives, the reserved bacon and a grind of pepper.

    Add in this stepChives, finely snipped 2 tsp

Cook's tip

Low heat plus a covered water bath is the whole secret: higher temperatures make the edges spongy and the eggs weep. The cornstarch keeps the custard smooth and stops liquid pooling when you reheat. They keep 4 days in the fridge; reheat covered in the microwave at medium power for about 1 minute.

Cooking it at camp

Use the steaming method: stand foil-covered heatproof cups on a rack in a lidded pot with 2–3 cm of barely simmering water and cook on low heat for 15–18 minutes until set. Fry the bacon in a pan on the burner first. Strain the custard at home and carry it in a sealed bottle in the cooler below 5°C.