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Consider this: the best baked eggs don’t ever hit the oven. During recipe development, realizing that using a cover generates steam to cook the top of the eggs, yielding tender perfectly poached egg with a tender white plus liquid yolk. The harsh, arid temperature in conventional ovens proves harsher versus moist heat, and has a tendency to dehydrate ingredients and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases to get started, though feel free to experiment. The first features an easy turmeric coconut curry, while the merguez ragu reimagines eggs in purgatory, essentially, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (shown above)

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 55 minutes
Yields Two servings

Extra virgin oil
One medium onion, trimmed and minced
Sea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Cumin seeds
6-8 curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
Chickpeas
Basil leaves, with more for garnish
Four eggs
2 green finger chillies, julienned, to serve

Use a heavy skillet on a medium-high heat. Add a shot of olive oil, incorporate onions with some salt, sauté for several minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, let them sizzle, mixing now and then for a few minutes, add coconut milk along with chickpeas and liquid. Let it bubble, then turn down to a simmer, and leave it to tick over for 30-35 minutes, until thick and golden. Adjust seasoning, incorporate basil.

Employ a utensil making four indentations in the sauce, add eggs individually. Dust each egg with salt, then cover the pan with a lid, and cook on a low heat briefly, when whites are cooked with yolks still runny. Take off the heat, top with fresh herbs plus chili slices, then serve immediately.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 min
Cook Under an hour
Yields Two

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
1 tsp cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
Tomato base
Salt
Four eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, coarsely cut
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
Fresh lemon, wedge-cut, for serving

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil once hot, take off sausage casings and break off pieces adding to pan, like mini balls. Reduce heat, cook until golden, releasing flavorful oils. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan as they cook, for even browning.

When golden, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic into the skillet, turn up the heat to medium fry with mixing, for several minutes, when fragrant, with garlic cooked. Add tomatoes, add seasoning and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low and simmer slowly about 20 minutes. The ragu will reduce, thicken and deepen in colour, with oils separating and surfacing.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets in the sauce, break eggs in. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, place lid on pan. Cook for two to three minutes over a low heat, when eggs set with yolks runny.

Turn off stove, garnish with peppers, parsley, a blob of yoghurt, and a drizzle of oil, with lemon on side.