They may look (and sound) fancy, but eggs en cocotte are easy to crack.
way more often—it's such an easy, elegant way of serving eggs. If you're not familiar with it, "en cocotte" is a method of baking eggs individually in small vessels. Ramekins are the best choice for most home cooks, unless you have actual mini roundTo make them, the eggs are slipped into the greased vessels, usually with fun flavorings above and/or below them, and gently baked in the oven in a hot water bath until done.
During all four years I was in college, I made my pocket money by working as an extra, or "supernumerary," as it's more technically known, at the Metropolitan Opera. I'd march on stage as a soldier in. Because I was a good average size, the company liked me for my ability to fit into many costumes, so they made me what was called a "cover.
The good news, though, is that if the oven is set low enough, as I instruct in my recipes, you have a pretty big margin of error—much larger than it was in my restaurant days, when, at brunch, we'd crank cocottes out as quickly as possible in 550°F ovens, meaning that even 30 seconds too long could lead to a rock-hard yolk. With a little jiggle, paired with a little faith in your senses and instincts, the eggs will come out just fine.