Manu's Coddled Eggs With Spinach

This comes from Manu Feildel's cookbook, Manu's French Kitchen. The cooking time will vary, depending on your oven. Keep an eye on the eggs, and take them out when the cream mixture is bubbling hot, and the eggs are just set in the middle! You can add ham or salami, and you can replace the spinach with any other green vegetable.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
• 150  g  Baby Spinach, picked and washed
•  sea salt and fresh coarse ground black pepper
• 15  g unsalted butter
•  freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
• 160  ml  pouring  cream
• 8  free range eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and toss 1/2 minutes or until just wilted. Season to taste with salt & pepper and transfer to a colander. Press down on the spinach with the back of a large spoon (or use your hands) to remove as much excess liquid as possible.
3. Brush the inside of four shallow 250ml capacity ramekins or gratin dishes with the melted butter. Sprinkle a little nutmeg, salt, and pepper into each ramekin, then place them in a deep roasting pan. Divide the spinach among the ramekins, then pour 2TB of the cream into each one. Carefully crack 2 eggs into each of the ramekins. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan, to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
4. Bake the eggs for 7-12 minutes or until the whites are just set and the yolks are still runny. Remember, when you take the eggs out of the water bath, they will continue to cook. If the eggs are still a little runny for your liking, leave the ramekins to stand for 3-4 minutes. Season with a little pepper, then serve!