How I miss the south of France. Had the most amazing trip last summer in Rodez, nestled in the Aveyron district of France. For those of you unaware of Aveyron, it is a department in the Occitanie, the south western region of France and is divided into 3 districts , 46 townships and 304 municipalities. The biggest city within Aveyron is Rodez, with a tiny population of ~25,000 (the employee size of one of the major banks I worked for).
Now what is Aveyron famous for? Probably one of what the world considers – not me – to be one of the most delicious comfort foods of all time: the Aligot. The Aligot is originated in the Midi-Pyrenees in the South of France and simply put, it is when mash meets cheese – and by cheese, I mean a lot of cheese. Typically Cantal or Tomme is used to blend in with the whipped potatoes to deliver a gooey consistency that just sticks to your tongue a bit as you devour the mash. Luckily, for the sake of my waistline, I myself am not a fan and prefer the buttery mash perfected by the late Robuchon. So I even passed by this dish at the world renowned Bras restaurant, Le Suquet.
Aveyron is also famous for the most picturesque villages and of course, the Gorges du Tarn (which I canoed in). For me, the biggest delight in spending almost two weeks here was the quality of the fresh produce and the amazing cheese. I spent hours in the markets at Rodez screening for the most amazing produce ever.
It is here during my stay that I was inspired to make my first oeufs en cocotte, arguably one of the most quintessential southern France breakfast staples. I added chorizo for the extra salty kick but this morning, I decided to go healthier and opted for cherry tomato instead :). Feel free to make your own variation.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon creme fraiche
- 1 cherry tomato
- 1/2 teaspoon bottarga
- 1 teaspoon of fresh, chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika (if desired)
- Pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Chop the cherry tomato in half and place at the bottom of the mini cocotte.
- Crack an egg and add the creme fraiche on top. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place cocotte in a baking tray or baking tin and fill the tin so that the water reaches halfway of the cocotte.
- Play the tray inside the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes depending how well done you like your eggs.
- Once time is up, remove tray from oven and take the cocotte out. Garnish with the sprinkling of bottarga, diced fresh parsley and hint of smoke paprika (if desired). Serve while warm with freshly toasted sourdough (or rustic bread of your choosing).
