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BAKED EGGS WITH ANCHOVIES AND CREAM

On those rare relaxed mornings when I have the time to flip through the paper, I make myself these baked eggs. Cream and anchovies make a lovely couple – the result isn’t fishy. Rather, the anchovy fades into the background, sneaking its salty umami quality into every bite. I like to dip my spoon in and spread the eggs on olive-oil–lashed charred slices of crusty bread.

serves 4

1 large garlic clove, crushed and peeled

1 teaspoon rosemary leaves

About 25g unsalted butter

3 whole salt-packed anchovies, rinsed, soaked, and filleted

(see Filleting Salt-Packed Anchovies, here)

6 tablespoons double cream

¼ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

4 large eggs

A few dried pequin chillies or pinches of red pepper flakes

Maldon or another flaky sea salt

4 teaspoons crème fraîche

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.

Finely chop the garlic with the rosemary until the mixture looks a bit like blue cheese.

Put half the butter in a medium pan set over medium-high heat and bring it to a froth. Add the garlic and rosemary mixture and give the pan a little shake. When the garlic starts to go brown and nutty, about a minute, add the anchovy fillets, give the pan another little shake, and turn off the heat. Stir the anchovies until they break up. Have a smell – to me, anchovies smell crispy as they cook. Pour in the cream, add the lemon zest, and stir some more. Turn the heat back to medium-high, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.

Rub four 225g ramekins with the remaining butter. Put the ramekins in a medium baking dish, split the cream mixture evenly among them, and crack an egg into each one. Roughly crumble on the chillies and sprinkle a pinch of salt over each yolk. Add a dollop of crème fraîche to each ramekin. Pour just enough water into the baking dish so the water level reaches a little past the level of the cream in the ramekins.

Carefully transfer the baking dish to the middle rack in the oven and cook just until the whites have set completely and the yolks are still creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the ramekins sit in the water for 2 minutes. Use sturdy tongs to carefully remove them from the water. Serve straight away.